i suggest we stick to the s h a d o w s
by her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks
Summary: Star light, star bright, last star I see tonight. I wish I dare, but give me this. Give me the wish I've wished forever, something of which joy consists. To the many shadows that cross my way…I challenge you to show me the light. Because what really makes us afraid of the dark when we know perfectly well there's nothing out there?
1. Prologue: Sneaking Through the Shadows

I had always written.

There rarely was a day when I didn't write at least one word.

Writing grew up with me. It was a part of me, and I of it.

Time formed into minutes and minutes morphed into seconds as I read, _devoured_ story after story. I wrote, created, _became _the stories I made. Time traveled full speed ahead until I had no recollection of it, 'til I was out of it.

The sentences seemed to creep ever so silently into me, my heart, my soul_,_ _my_ _entire being _where they stayed forever, and no matter how much I would try to shake it out, the words wouldn't fall.

It became so much that I regarded the characters I brought to life as my brothers and sister, those who were with me every disappearing second. I lost myself in their conflicts, pushing through in the other person's perspective. And they'll slip out of their world and sneak into mine just like I walk cautiously to their's.

They restrain me when I'm going too far and throw me ahead when I'm too slow. They hold me in their invisible arms and whisper sweet, _almost permanent _things when I'm in despair's grasp. My submissiveness is tossed away for a little while. All darkness is eradicated for a fleeting moment.

But I'm ensnared in their clutch.

To their promise, they give me something to feel.

Yet their words don't always sink in fast enough and I feel the penalty.

The monster that I created consumed me, so much as to that I was in their world.

And it controls everything I do.

This _thing _provides me with feelings that I never knew existed before.

Yet it doesn't hurt me, so I continue on, sometimes longing for the masquerade, as it's the only tangible thing I can experience.

It sometimes scares me how much of my time I spend creating someone else's life.

But that is me now.

So I will continue to read the stories that swallow me whole.

And I will continue to write the stories that take over my being.


	2. Chapter 1: Naming the Shadows

**A/N 6.5.13: Yes, I even need a hello from the future for this.  
This...I mean, what am I supposed to do? It simply is there's more moments I like than hate. And I very proud of how I finished it. So. It's going to stay. I've vowed not to move it. Because soon I'll have nothing left on this account if I nitpick everything.  
Here's_ i suggest we stick to the shadows_, written in the days of Amanda Katrice Granger/her-eyes-fiery-pinpricks...enjoy! :)**

* * *

**MONSTER AUTHOR'S NOTE…A LOT OF IMPORTANT STUFF…BE WARNED…**

**And, before you ask, ****_no_****, that was ****_not _****me speaking in the prologue.**

**First off, thank you for the positive response on the prologue. YOU'S ALL EPICZZZ**

**This multi-chapter was born in June 2012, in a Walmart, looking at the spotlights…Went from a self-insert to an OC…Went from one-shot to multi-chap…Went from being named Iliana to nameless…And finally, around August, I had a solid idea of what this would be, and the intensive planning started.**

**AND I'M SO HUFFLEPUFFIN' EXCITED.**

**I wanted to get this out as soon as I could (before April) so the new ideas in KK6 don't conflict with the info in this. I also want to make this the best it can be so I can be proud of a multi-chap for once. And rushing a multi-chap never ends well.**

**That's the reason why I'm making this an WIP fic (Work in Progress), which means I'll be editing the chapters as the story is going on.** **1. I will only edit if I found something I need to add in order for the rest of the story to make sense. I won't edit just to edit.** **2. I will only edit/add-in/delete minor things. Nothing huge. If I think of something huge, too late for me, unless it's imperative I get it on here.** **3. I will notify in the upcoming chapter if something has been edited.** **4. I'll edit grammatical errors only if they are an eyesore. I need to focus on the story as a whole.**

**In this story, the real challenge for me is keeping the darkness and the voice of the character consistent. I'm pretty excited to see the final product. I don't know if it'll be identical to what I imagined it to be months ago or completely different with my content. I guess we'll see ;)**

**This character is my first OC. I was never a big fan of OCs until she appeared...then EVERYTHING changed. I think OCs ensure that the personality of the character is kept and not damaged because it's your own. I'm ecstatic to show the aspects of this character. There are definitely some qualities that are remarkable and admirable...There are many talents that I wish I possessed…There are some things I wouldn't wish on anyone to have…So I want to show that this character is human, she needs help, but she also has many things she can share with others.**

**OKAY ENOUGH ABOUT ME. ONTO DEDICATIONS!**

**Well, song dedications, actually.**

**For this story, music plays a pretty large role, so, after tons of searching, each chapter will have a "song-connection"—a piece of music that sounds like it…connects?**

**I feel like the music is needed because I have great difficulty in writing something dark without it being angsty. This story is, for the most part, not angsty. The music will add to the effect and make it darker. I think. I tried it and it worked. I think.**

**For a couple chapters, I was unsuccessful in picking a song connection, and I'm NOT about to buy another ****_Lost _****soundtrack and have my opinion about the end change 50 kabillion more times. So a lot of chapters are gonna stay silent. For example, the prologue is gonna stay silent. From everything I've listened to, there's nothing to match up with it. And even if I did find something, unless it matched up PERFECTLY, I want to make sure the feeling behind the prologue stays and isn't overlooked because of music. (Yeah, so music helps and music takes away. I don't know what to make of it. PARADOX ALERT :P)**

**This chapter:** **INSPIRED BY: "Drumming Song" by Florence + the Machine. You know, a great deal of this story was inspired by Florence…so thank you Flo! (You know, one of the writers of this song was James Ford. HA! JAMES FORD! AS IN SAWYER…never mind.) However, the song does not match up with this chapter. It was just inspired by it. (What the heck is she doing, you're probably thinking.) SO I have an additional song which will be the connection and sounds like…what the chapter would sound like…if it...was a...musical? LOL. SONG CONNECTION: "Muttations" from ****_The Hunger Games _****soundtrack, composed by James Newton Howard. NOW, for a lot of songs, it'll trail off or change key and not connect anymore, SO, for this one, the song stops at 1:06. There's a change of setting in this chapter. I won't need to explain. You'll see. So, to clarify, the song stops at 1:06 as soon as the setting changes. You'll be able to tell. MAKE SURE you pause it at 1:06 and you have your speakers down. 'Cause otherwise, you're gonna fall off your chair. Or through it. AHAHAHAHA...no one gets it...**

**ONEMORETHINGABOUTSONGSTHENI'MDONEIPROMISE:** **Going through my iPod, I asked myself: Mandy, what connects to ISWSTTS as a whole?** **"Blinding" by Florence + the Machine. I had a little mini fan freak-out when I listened to this after twenty other songs, begging for something that works and BOOM there it was. The lyrics connect SO INSANELY PERFECT 'TIS SCARY. You might not get it at first right now. But you will. MUAHAHAHAH** **So that's ****_the overture_****, if you will. Let's all sit and listen to "Blinding". *sits and listens to "Blinding"* OMG AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ALSO! I have little overtures for different parts of the story. Prologue-2 song connection #1 is "Star of Bethlehem" from the ****_Home Alone_**** soundtrack composed by John Williams. This song is so haunting yet surprisingly comforting at the same time. Our little OC here has friends…but they aren't normal. This song really embodies her struggles as a happy trouble because she's doing it ****so she can feel something****. AHHH OMG IT'S PERFECT The lyrics don't connect unless you wanna imagine the star as...whatever you wanna imagine it as. But if you listen to the lyrics and all you think is "CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SHOPPING SHOPPING" then don't bother. Then listen to the voices and the music all together. IT'S SO PRETTYYYY (There are going to be regular mentions of Christmas in here. That was your first one. More to come reallllll soon :P) The second overture is "Breathe Me" by Sia. I've always loved this song so much. Then, this morning, I was song planning (hi Jessie ;)) and I turned this on and almost cried. It's perfect. My OC's crying out for help, and the SONG'S SO HEART-WRENCHING IT COULD HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THIS. I just can't believe how much it works :)**

**I really enjoyed updating at midnight last Thursday. But, alas, Thursday is a school night this week, so I'm moving the updating to Friday night at 12:00 am. Which is right now. Technically, it's Saturday, but still… ANDJUSTONEMORETHING: To all my peeps who read my HP stories...I'm gonna update one last time to let everyone else know, but I'm taking a break from the ****_Harry Potter_**** archive just for a little while during this multi-chap. Thanks for all of the support!**

**OKAY. I THINK I'M DONE. THANK YOU FOR READING. EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPP**

**DISCLAIMER: Do I own ****_Kingdom Keepers_****? NO! Do I own this website? NO! Do I own the world? Well…maybe…**

**This story is for all who believe that the pen holds a power over the world that's unlike anything else. ;)**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows (My laptop won't let me do the cool spacing thing. GR.) Chapter 1: naming the shadows**

_"I'm coming with you." Flashforwardtorightnow andIcantstop A blue chair. Long. You're there. You're there with him. SYSTEM OVERLOAD. SYSTEM OVERLOAD. PREPARE FOR CRASH IN 4… "It's just that…. she looked away, her tears shining. "There's some things that you can't-" EXPLOSION. A girl whose eyes are darker than the night Kristine. "WE DON'T BELONG TOGETHER!" Kristine? "I…CAN'T…CONTROL IT!" "Kristine?"_

"Mm? Um...Uh…Yes?"

"You alright?"

"…Yeah." I hurriedly replied, turning up my iPod even though it didn't need any more volume. Mom didn't say any more.

Avoiding conversation, I stared at the loud colors of the soundtrack cover art of the song I was listening to, trying to wake myself up.

_That was the fourth time this hour._

I finally came to my senses and reached down for my laptop, threw it open, turned on my word processor and began to type furiously.

**Someone screaming…Girl trying to say something to lover…Eyes…dark eyes?**

Like all of the times this has happened before, everything disappeared.

I whispered my disappointment as I saved the document, shut down my laptop, and laid my head back on the seat and looked out the window.

Cars adjacent to us blinked their lights and stop abruptly. It was almost dangerous to watch, knowing that other vehicles would appear out of thin air. Dad had always said he never liked driving in this parking lot. Cars would come behind other cars as they backed up, and it was inevitable to hear a police siren every now and then blinking their red and blue lights over and over and over and over…

_We need you. We need you now. She folded it and jerked her head up, swearing that she heard his voice. "You there? You okay?" Don'tyoudarebringherbackthere._ _I NEED YOU NOW_. _PLEASE COME QUICK_ _It's coming faster. It's running now. IT'S GONNA RUN INTO ME AND I_

I violently shook my head side to side, trying to rid myself of…_that_.

This was becoming more impossible to stop.

I don't know how to control it.

I looked to my right again to see that we were out of the risky parking lot. My tension released and I heard my dad laugh.

"Finally," my dad said. "Home, here we come!"

"_Finally_," I sigh.

I needed to get out of this car, this tight space. We've been out all night, running errands, and I've been itching to get home. I couldn't stand being looked at strangely because I stopped in the middle of the aisles of the store, throwing my hands to my head as if something was too loud.

Allowing myself to lose my focus in the lights, I counted up how many times I had gotten distracted today. Twice in the morning, six times while I was checking my email…Four tonight…

_"Write-" I corrected myself, "draw on the back." She looked at me suspiciously, her gaze unchanging. I offered a smile. SHE DOESN'T TRUST YOU LOOK AWAY LOOK AWAY NOW SHE THINKS YOU'RE A "Please." Who slips through reality to those of her brothers and sisters "I want to see it. We…We want to see it."_

I asked myself for the first time, because I never actually explained it to myself…What was the sudden rush of adrenaline and the disappearance of other things as I received sentences and fragments and single words from…something other than me?

From when I could remember, I've had…_flashes _like these. I've told no one about them, considering it's just something that would eventually happen if I focused on one thing too much. Maybe it was because I write constantly. Maybe it was because I rarely talk, and when I do, barely more than single words. I might be the build-up if emotions, because they have to come out somehow, although I hadn't experienced it this way before...

Maybe it was because it's becoming harder to do normal things and easier to spend the whole night writing.

But when these flashes happen, I can't see anything, can't hear anything from the outside, and I see different people, some recognizable, some strangers, in varied places as if I was watching it happen…

I've always seemed to lose myself in different situations, but it's getting more violent and harder to pull myself back to reality.

That has lead me to questioning what is real and what belongs to the other worlds.

What I do know is that I have documents and documents on my laptop of words from the flashes. I'll name them _inspiration…_and then _write_. For what seems like _forever._

I don't always…remember, though.

At some point, everything from the flash vanishes.

Sometimes, I'll come back and lose everything in an instant.

_Stop it_, I try to convince myself. _Don't get worked so up again._

"Daddy, can I _please_ turn on the light now? _Please_?" my sister urgently asked my dad, pushing a golden curl away from her face.

He laughed again. "Sure, Georgia."

I could see Georgia excitedly shut off my mom's phone she used for light to read the book. She reached up to the top of the car roof and pressed the light. I could see her face better now, even though I could tell her features in the dark.

My little sister could be called the exact opposite of me—long, blonde, curly hair that was identical in color to my parents, gigantic, gorgeous emerald eyes, and overflowing energy. She was a little firecracker, running all over the place. She made me laugh.

Recently, she's been the only thing that makes me laugh.

My hair is black, flat, and shoulder length, my petite figure leads everyone to believe I'm a gymnast, and my eyes, according to my sister, are "_the most beautiful-est bluest eyes ever!"_

In all honesty, they just make me more sensitive to the light.

She's the only one who knows how much I write and how I really feel about it. She begs me to tell her everything I write about. And she listens, and she loses her childlikeness and doesn't run off when she gets bored, because I definitely know there are things about my writing that are dull, although Georgia thinks otherwise.

I'll tell her everything happy about my stories. But it's getting harder to do that, because the amount of angst-filled material is growing. I won't let her read anything dismal.

I won't let her grow up like I did, living in other worlds.

_"Can I hear more? More, more!" "Now, now..." I ruffled her hair. "That's enough for tonight. Now go back to sleep, Mom'll get us in trouble." You turn your head and see the twinkling stars, shining so bright, piercing the dead sky like swords puncturing- "But I don't care! It's worth it!" NONONO NO MORE I'LL FEEL THE_

"Georgie…" I whispered, leaning closer to her, putting on my smile I only show for her. "What part are you on?"

"Finn is looking at the notebook. There's the really cool drawing thingies." Her eyes lit up. I could tell she was loving the book like I do—she was smiling really wide, shaking the book and speaking through her teeth. "My favorite part, Kitsie."

"You're pushing your way through, aren't you?" I grinned slightly, pushing away that stubborn curl again.

"Kitsie, _you're _farther along than me. You've read it _seven times_. I think that's _a lot_."

I almost started to explain the amazing reality that she's five years old and she's reading a book for people twice her age. And this is the second time she's read it. But she wouldn't understand how reading _Kingdom Keepers IV: Shell Game _is extraordinary for her. Sometimes I think she believes she's fourteen like me.

Georgia has been pushing through that book since the day it came out and is determined to read it the amount of times I had. I specifically stopped rereading it for that reason, but I'll do it in secret—although secrets don't last long while Georgia's around. I didn't want her to become lost in that book, unhealthily obsessed with every word like I am, writing spin-offs, fanfiction for the Keeper world every waking moment…

And that's what makes me ask myself…Am I really related to Georgia?

We are only alike in our love of books, but I think I created that similarity.

My mother tells me I would ask her profusely if I really was part of this family. And I remember the look in her eyes, and how honest they were, and how she said yes. I began to accept that answer.

Now, for reasons unknown, after years of forgetting, I'm wondering again.

_You can't hide now. "NO!" she screamed. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" TOO MUCH. TOO MUCH. I. The sky ain't falling just yet. CAN'T. But it's too hard…_

I opened my eyes. "_Hear_." I whispered, frightened.

My earphones had fallen under my seat. "Heavy In Your Arms" leaked out into the car with my iPod on full volume, enough to understand what the eerie lyrics were.

"Turn that down, you'll hurt your ears," my mom said.

Not responding, I put the earbuds back into my ears, shocked by the volume and turned it down.

We pulled into the driveway of our house and Georgia jumped up and down as much as she could with her seatbelt on. I couldn't hear what she was saying.

I clutched my laptop and notebook, juggling that and my iPod, getting out of the car into the rigid December night air with no jacket on.

I was still asking myself questions.

**I know. I need to explain a lot. But more is coming. Iz promisez.**

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**P.S: Do me something that will make me happy? Read ****_Happy Keeper Games_**** by my bestie AmandaKK1524. I read it and immediately knew I needed to recommend it. It's a ****_Hunger Games_**** and ****_KK_**** cross-over. What's better than that?**


	3. Chapter 2: Refuge in the Shadows

**Hey y'all! I hope I explained enough in this :)**

**OMG. I almost forgot to update. LOL. Do you guys mind PMing me next week to remind me? :P**

**SONG CONNECTIONS:** **"O Holy Night" from the ****_Home Alone _****soundtrack composed by John Williams. I have about fifty different versions of this song on my iPod and this might be my favorite. Like "Drumming Song", this song helped me out a lot with this story. I think it was the harmonies that got me to make it this chapter's connection (because everything else doesn't really make total sense in terms of this.) 'Cause, you know, harmonies make everything perfect. It might not connect in every way, including the lyrics, but every time I listened to it screamed "CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER TWO" so I guess it'll work itself out on its own! :P**

**I LOVED making this chapter because I felt that the last one went terribly so I needed to redeem myself and reinstall Krissie's character. I absolutely adored trying to make this heart-wrenching-ly sad since I wanted to show Krissie's hurting. Yeah. I don't know if it feels sad overall. But I was pretty happy with how it turned out so I guess I'll keep it! :P**

**This one's for fantasmic-lol-get-it ;)**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**Chapter 2: refuge in the shadows**

Sometimes, at night, I'll listen to the silence.

It comes hours after nightfall, after everyone has gone to sleep and dreamt about their falls and rises. It sneaks through the darkness, only revealing itself to those ready to be paralyzed by the nothingness and those who need to hear what loneliness is.

It's unlike anything else I have ever heard before.

It's a void of thinking that I yearn for and stay awake for, repeating lyrics in my head until I can finally hear the quiet.

The silence is heavy. There's no background noise, not even the sound of me being there.

It's completely and thoroughly empty of all my troubles.

I'll throw away my challenges into the silence, and everything will be alright for a little while.

Right now, I lazily twirl my hair as I lay in my bed, clutching onto nothing, staring holes into the clock on my nightstand. Insomnia, a regular visitor, has come again.

I'm not surprised.

And when I can't sleep, I think about my life. My writing.

This is the only time when I can lose myself in it and not be pushed ahead or stared at.

I started to write when I was a little girl. I would record story after story about little creatures, tiny, joyful things. I've kept the papers with my earliest creations under my pillowcase. They remind me how happy those times were.

But, I grew older, and when I was at the age when I could put sentences together and form something readable and understandable, everything changed.

Everything with words drew me in and locked me out of the real world. School formed into something I begged my parents not to take me too. Numbers and scientific things gave me headaches.

In second grade, I read ten books in one week.

And the things I would write scared my parents, my teachers, my little classmates who got a hold of the papers. So I stopped doing it publicly. I'll lock my door and write soundlessly, not revealing a bit of what I do to anyone.

And know one _understood _back then. Some waved it away and said it was my negative feelings spilling out, just happening to sound unlike a eight year-old's work. They said it was a phase. That I wasn't really serious about it. It was just words.

They were right. It was my feelings.

But not only my feelings.

They were not just words.

I thought about trying to explain everything, but I knew they would shake their heads and laugh. So I took the blow and stayed quiet.

It was breaking me slowly. But there was a point that I realized life was going to stay that way.

And the puzzlement got worse. Now, in school, I don't participate at all, even in the English classes where everything isn't a different language. The flashes get longer and I can't even remember what I had just been asked.

I'm silent. It's hard not to be.

Most nights end with me throwing myself on my bed and blasting some comforting song my earphones and I'll shut myself out from the world. I'll close my eyes as if something I was looking at was scary. Homework won't get done. My family will call for me and I won't answer. But I didn't care.

When I'm finally brave enough to open up my eyes, I'll see the gold and silver emblem of the one thing that drags me away from the discouragement.

I'll see the _Kingdom Keepers_ books and I'll read them over and over again in one night, and I'll finally feel _better_.

I found those books when I was a little. I saw the mysterious, entrancing book cover one day and decided to open it up.

And a world was opened up too.

And additional to my original writing, I created fanfiction for the series. I spent most of my time sharing and reading other's works and fell into hours of elaborating on their life as if they were my friends. I have always thought about how the Keepers would react if they were able to see it.

I'll call myself their names and see the empty streets and place them there. I'll create opinions that form into truths that describe them. They're the ones that appear in my life the most, in little things, like colors and places.

And there's things I know I'll never experience but I write about anyway. People who read the stories ask me how I write it so accurately.

And I'll answer and say it's experience, but I know the truthful answer.

I don't know. I don't know why I'm able to connect so easily and be the mask wearer in this world of masquerades, wearing different colors that the people I created told me to.

I squeeze my eyes shut, back to reality, and my hands slide up to my pillow. I tuck my head to my knees and curl up, trying to convince myself that everything's going to be okay.

I want to escape.

This is the first time I've admitted that to myself.

I know I say a lot of things into the darkness that I wouldn't repeat anywhere else. I know some things I whisper into the night are an hour old before they die.

But the way the realization burned into my mind and sent chills up my body told me this is a real feeling.

This way of living, hiding from reality, pretending I'm somewhere else is not going to be my life forever.

I'll lie in bed every night wishing for something to take me away from the word's grasp, as it's starting to control everything I do. I want to run far, far away from it, never seeing or hearing their promises again.

I want to live the life of those I write about. Their's seem so much better than mine.

_"You don't belong here. Go away!"  
They shine so bright.  
"There's so much to explain," she pleaded. "But not here."  
"Not anywhere," he fired back. "Not ever."  
Born on the glimmering shades of the piercing night...  
"But please!"  
With strands of might covered in silver... "  
We could work this out! Just please, Fi-"  
Pray that she saves those whose captor are not the words.  
"I said no!"_

The last word seems to echo, giving me my answer.

Devastated, I cover my eyes again, shutting out everything. My hand rubs the pillow, trying to find a way out.

Tears do not come. They haven't for a while.

Then, my finger reaches an elevated patch on my pillow. I feel the papers of my first writings, and comfort pervades me.

I stop shaking.

The silence had only just arrived as I stroked the piece of paper, and, despite my efforts, a smile grew on my face.

I closed my eyes.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**


	4. chapter 3: greeting the shadows

**OH MY LORD**

**IT'S STARTING**

**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**

**FINALLY! Getting into the craziness. Buckle your seatbelts, 'cause this is gonna be an INSANE RIIIDEEEEE**

***that's so corny***

**I'm telling ya right now: there are gonna be TONS of really "Huh?" moments that are gonna show up in the next ten chapters or so. And some of those loose ends will be tied. Many will not. That's the beauty of it****—**I don't care what you make of this...it's your translation.. As the great Lockhart said, "Believe whatever you want to." :D

**THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:  
1. It's me, Mandy. I just changed my name. Check out my new profile, too! :)  
2. Sorry I didn't update last week. Felt like Finn after a DHI failure one night and was at sleepovers the other two. But I'm back on schedule! YAY!**  
**3. This site won't let me edit the name of the chapters (GRR) so let's just pretend they always were lowercased. Yeah.**

**TO KEEPER #8: Absolutely! And yeah haha I added Isabella :P**

**THINGS EDITED: Chaps one and two for the song quotations and chapter name :)**

**New chapter means new song connection, and setting change means NEW OVERTURE!**

**THIS CHAPTER:**  
**"The Eyeland" from the ****_Lost_**** Season One soundtrack composed by Michael Giacchino. I can guarantee you right now, pretty much every single song after this chapter's gonna be from ****_Lost_****. LOL.  
This song has what I like to call BOOM moments (hi Abby ;)). And there's definitely some BOOM moments in here. I'm letting you guys place where they are, because what you think is ground-breaking in this chapter might not be what I think is. BUT I have two points that I need to designate. The first BOOM is when…well, the first sentence. THEN something's gonna happen in the middle of this. I want 1:53 to be when that happens. Then the song ends. The rest of the chapter is silent. UNLESS you wanna replay the song. Eh. It could work.  
I really hope you guys are able to tell when the thing happens. Maybe I'll have to put a signal. ARGGHHHHH**

**OVERTURE:**  
**"Kate's Motel" from the same soundtrack. TOLD YA LOST WOULD REAPPEAR.**  
**HEY! WANNA KNOW SOMETHING? This is the overture til chapter 12. WHOA. LONG OVERTURE. From here to 12 is kinda a package deal. HERE'S DA THING. This song fit EXACTLY with two other future chapters and I just couldn't nix it for that. SO this song will reappear as a connection. Yeah. You know how in some movies there's different versions of songs in each scene? Think of it like that. Think _Lost_. The whole soundtrack appears in, like, every episode.**  
**The uneasiness in this song makes me wanna scream. It's AMAZING. And especially for what's gonna happen. EEEEEEEE**

**QUICK QUESTION: Is there a clock? (You won't get what I mean now but you will eventually) I really think there is. BUT I may be wrong. Tell me if I am. I'm probably gonna keep it anyway. I'll make a reason :P**

**This one's for sissy, who still hasn't let me use that quote! :P**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 3: greeting the shadows**

But when I open my eyes, the smile has completely escaped my face.

My line of sight is straight up. I see black.

Not…pitch black.

It's a hollow black. It's not even black.

It's dark blue. With tiny, twinkling lights.

And instead of something soft, I'm lying on something hard, cold, rough. My palms rub up against it.

There's a stinging feeling. Real pain.

This isn't a dream.

And there's air all around me, not the piped-in kind in houses. No. It's…

Overflowing. Excessing.

Natural.

I'm lying on my back, stiff, surprised. My hands are opening and closing, trying to hold onto something. But nothing's coming.

Gasping, I turn my head around, seeing only more rough patches of land. Street. Curbs on my left and right. And if I looked farther up, older-looking buildings.

My head rises up to see a brown building, far in the distance, with a white clock on the peak. Something's running through the interior.

Tracks.

I stand up, immediately stabbing my hand to my head as the blood rushes down to my toes. Breathing through my teeth, I inspect the clock closer.

It reads midnight.

The last image of my clock that I remember said twenty minutes before that.

Was I lying on the ground for that long? I ask myself.

Surely the answer was no.

I couldn't answer that question for sure until I knew where I was.

I turn to my right to see more buildings, their vivid colors drained from the night. My left, and there's more of the same.

I edge to my left a little bit more, taking tiny steps, and see… _planets _in orbit, supported by white beams. More buildings, their colors neon and solid.

And as I came full circle, a royal structure rose into the sky, it's color alternating innocent white and day blue, pointing its towers to the sky.

I whispered to myself the name.

_"Cinderella Castle."_

My voice was unlike my usual one. It was sharp, incomplete..._thin._

Electronic.

I lift my arm up as if I were just discovering it. With my eyes peering closer, there it was.

Glittering.

Frightened, I stepped back, tripping on my own feet but then regaining balance. My eyes danced from side to side, verifying my theory.

And this realization comes, punching me in the stomach, making me dizzy and lose my footing.

I had crossed over into Walt Disney World.

My mind instantaneously flies to the possibility of someone being here. My survival instincts kick in, not even questioning myself the actuality of me being here.

I knew I wasn't alone.

And I wouldn't dare call out.

I take advantage of the back-and-forth moments and inspect my arm further, twisting it and turning it and hearing an almost inaudible sparking sound.

Why…_what?_ my mind repeats, going a thousand miles a minute. I'm not a DHI—I do a double take when I recite those letters—I haven't been…_entered _into the system.

All I remember before I woke up was feeling extremely happy.

For the first time in a long while.

And before I have time to explore—which I wasn't exactly sure I was going to do anyway—a flash of fire appeared in the corner.

I turn to my right, backing up. It was there for a fraction of a second, not long enough for me to even guess what the source was.

Adjacent to a..._parlor_ of some kind, the bush shook. It swayed and the leaves fluttered, the commotion making me uneasy. I take one step closer to it.

And I freeze as a body rolls out of it to standing.**

He holds out a flashlight, defending himself. I recoil, the light stinging my eyes that were familiar to the darkness.

_"Who are you?"_ he spits out, enunciating his words in a way I've never heard of.

I'm silent, still shielding my face with a reluctant hand.

I realize that the flash I saw was his fluorescent red hair.

_"What's your name?" _he asks more forcefully, now jabbing his flashlight as to threaten me.

_Something precious will make her run  
"I say go, we go."  
"You're real?"  
And the blazing flames will find her  
"I'm having trouble falling asleep, but I guess I'll try."  
They can take anything. But don't let them take your name._

I know who this boy is, but I bite my tongue.

My arm had come down at some point that I couldn't remember and I was fully visible.

"Why don't you just come up to me?" I say dryly, startled by my confidence but going with it anyway.

He begins to protest but trips on his words. "What—wha…" He pursed his lips.

_"What are you doing here?" _he says slowly and deliberately.

"Kristine Kingell. I'm just as confused as you are." My face turns to the buildings from left to right carelessly, again, searching for my source of bravery.

The way his face twisted gave away that he recognized something.

"But—" His eyes flew to my hair, then my feet, then my eyes, which he stared into longer.

All was soundless for a moment as I looked back, trying to read his features further.

Then he shook his head, mumbling something to himself.

"You're—" he pointed to me, making an attempt to match my previous cockiness. "You're coming with me."

"Where?"

"Do you have a sister?"

_"How I wish I were the wind!"_  
_I feel you._  
_He searched his memory, her hand growing colder in his. She squeezed so hard, it hurt.  
Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?_

My confidence floats away and I become the submissive, shy, _scared _girl again.

My confused wonder morphs into freezing terror. Had…_had…_

"Y-y-yes. Why?"

"I already told you. You're coming with me."

"No, that's not gonna cut it." I fire back. My face grows red. My words become muddled with tears. "I want to know what's wrong with Georgie."

I instantly scold myself, knowing if I show quick-changing feelings, I would be considered vulnerable right away.

But the tears don't stop from coming.

"Look here," the boy comes up closer, apparently deciding right then and there that I'm of no threat. Maybe my reaction hit him in a way that accidently released sympathy.

He's inches away from me. The closeness comes as a shock as I jerked my head back with my face still looking in his direction.

"We just got a signal. We think it's just one of them lurking around. But we saw blonde hair and green eyes. And that's the thing..." he trails of, studying my contradictory traits again. "No big give away. Nothing big."

Then he realizes how much he'd given away. I could tell he was trying to reassure himself that I was clueless regarding what he had just said as he backed away from me.

Little did he know I understood every word.

"But you're coming with me," he added, trying to redeem himself in a leader's sense.

"I'm not objecting," I whisper, seeing him walk away, hear me, turn around, and shake his head in puzzlement.

And I wipe my eyes, my thoughts whirring around. There were no facts to hold onto, to keep me sane, nothing that had happened to make me think for the brightness.

And I rely on facts to pull me along—and more often than not, there was something to know, something to trust.

Nothing, _no one _now.

I check off my mental list of maybes, fearing its dangerous shortness.

I had crossed over, something of fantasy, something that could never happen, not even in my craziest ideas.

My sister might have also.

Dell Philby is waving me along, pulling out his phone, most likely letting his friends know they've got trouble.

And nothing had changed from the outside world to here.

I should be happy, _overjoyed _that I'm seeing someone that, until now, has been considered unreal. I could now scream out to everyone who has ever seen me stop in my tracks and squeeze my eyes shut that there was a reason for that.

_Everybody!  
I found her wandering in the wood  
Listen up.  
This little child...  
I'm not crazy._  
_I found her trembling in the shadows._  
_They are real!_

But my words of anger mistily float away and I'm stuck, paralyzed between the reality.

I'm still fatally lost, with no sign of returning the outside world's promise of understanding.

I scoff.

I'm starting to believe life isn't going to offer me anything pleasant anytime soon.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated.**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

**P.S.- I gave stars at the something. You're welcome. :P**


	5. chapter 4: 279

**Hey, guys. GUYS!**

**I THOUGHT OF A TAGLINE!**

**"Never underestimate the questionable."**

**HAH!**

**ALL I NEED NOW IS A MOVIE POSTER!**

**Anyone up for modeling Kris? :P**

**TO KEEPER #8: Absolutely! And yeah, haha, I'll add Isabella :D (I love your name—8 is my lucky number! :P)**

**SONG CONNECTIONS:**  
**"Hollywood and Vines" from ****_Lost_**** season one. This song's probably most played on my iPod because it's from MY FAVORITE SCENE IN THE WORLD AND IT'S WHEN THEIR CLIMBING UP THE MOUNTAIN AND SAYID/SHANNON IS STARTING TO FORM AND I'M ALL LIKE AHHHHHHH  
*fangirl done *  
This song has two parts. And it's pretty clear where the split is—for the song ****_and _****here. (The little transition music between 0:45 and 0:50…that'll be on the last line of the first part)  
BUT there's special beginnings and endings. The song starts at the sixth line of the first part. And the song's gonna stop after the third "paragraph" of the second part. Yeah, take your time reading the paragraphs since I want the whole second part of the song to be played lol :P  
I love how the beginning of the song portrays..._decisions_...and the second portrays..._action_...movement...CLIMBING UP MOUNTAINS AND OTPS BEING BORN *there are no mountains in this story...i'm just being an annoying lostie*  
I picked this song when I was first choosing the connections and LOVED how it worked. But when I wrote this chapter it didn't really come out the way I thought it would (especially that ending…but that one-liner I had for months lol) so it required tweaking with the song's beginning/ending. BUT ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I'm gonna keep it unless I find a song that has an extra transition.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 4: 279**

"So…are you going to come?" the boy says uncertainly, waving his hand as to ask _anyone there?_

I respond, not comprehending his question until now. "Uh…yeah. Sure."

He could tell I was just saying words. That's the one thing he'd picked up on all night.

I wasn't really sure where I was going…but my best guess involved meeting more people.

Philby walks past me, toward the giant clock. I turn and watch as he continues down the straight path.

At first I hesitated, wondering exactly why I'm so eagerly following him.

Then the blow of the uncertainty of Georgia's safety attacks me and I realize I haven't given much thought to it.

I couldn't think of a good reason for me to cross over and not her. It just seemed likely, due to the amount of time we spent together and how much we shared.

And that meant she was alone.

I couldn't even imagine what she's feeling. She's clever…She'd probably ran to the darkest place she could find. She's smart enough to know that her best choice is to hide straight away in a place that didn't draw attention.

But was she _still alone_? Had someone gotten her? From what Philby had revealed, at the time of the signal, she was.

But in the dark, a few minutes between events could be life-changing.

I don't even allow myself to consider that she's hurt.

And my only hope, only way out was help. I couldn't find her alone. I'm too frightened to think what could happen if I decided to escape while the boy's not looking and do this on my own.

Besides, all I'm ever going to do is get lost in a flash.

I decided to trust the boy with fire for hair. I follow him, gearing up for the wild ride.

* * *

"We're gonna turn this left. See them?" he asks, pointing to a dead end, bordered by bushes.

"Yeah." I reply.

Down the street we've gone, the silence only occupied by our feet barely touching the ground. I struggled to keep up with his fast walking, but I tried not to show that.

"Oh, God," he mutters quickly, looking ahead. "Over here!" he exclaims in a whisper, turning around only to clutch my arm and drag me to nearest building.

He shoves me to the sidewalk and I press my back against the door of the store behind me. He does the same on my right.

There's commotion near the brown building, and I vaguely hear voices to match the movement. I can't see any faces.

The darkness hides us well.

Philby senses my want to go see if my sister's there and forcefully shakes his head and mouths _no_. Discouraged, I turn my head to face away from him and squeeze my eyes shut.

_And this was followed by a squeak of metal  
a door swinging open  
and an echoing bang that bounced off the ceiling.  
She heard a laugh, a sick laugh, as if all light was drained from the world.  
"You're mine."_

"Philby!" I hiss.

He looks over at me, alarmed.

"There," I point in front of me, seeing figures moving rapidly inside of the glass windows. His eyes widened.

_I pay attention too. I'm not always lost in my thoughts_, I wish I can tell him.

_"Not a move," _he says slowly.

We stand there, shrouded in darkness as two minutes trudge by. They go slower than years.

After the silence guaranteed our safety, he cautiously walks to the street. His eyes scan the area.

He swallows. "Clear," he turns to me.

I finally breathe and emerge from the darkness. "Thank you," I whisper, grateful for his quick thinking.

"How do you know my name?" he demands, his hand now grabbing my shoulder and holding it tight. "_How do you _know my name?"

And this comes out, making me wonder if I was really in control of what I say. "I read."

He mutters something and let goes of me, backing up slowly, studying me like he did ten minutes ago.

"C'mon," he grumbles, hooking a left and stepping into the shrubbery, with me in tow.

"I suggest we stick to the shadows," I offer, trying too smooth things over.

I realize that only made things worse as he turned to face me again.

_"Keep running! Don't look back!"  
I know that.  
She will meet those who share her heart  
Only some lanterns were glowing. They provided enough light to see by, but barely.  
That chorus of singing in her ears…  
The building's square. White. Small. And full.  
Of them._

We climb through the bushes, trying to ignore the expression of frustration on each other's faces.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

**A NOTE: That title nod had to be there. Don't deny it. Just-just don't. IT WORKS. IT JUST DOES.**


	6. chapter 5: retreating into the shadows

**THIS CHAPTER:  
****SONG CONNECTION: "Reaping Day". AND IT'S NOT FROM ****_LOST_****. ****_Hunger Games_**** soundtrack composed by James Newton Howard. AKA perfectionness.  
Now, this song BEGINS at one star and 0:31 is at two stars. And the rest of the song for the rest of the chapter because OMGILOVEIT. I know it's a long song so...read slowly. :P  
I picked this because it captures the uneasiness/excitement/complete utter puzzlement she's feeling lol. It's like a huge blow…what's going to happen…but it's also a huge relief. She's got something to hold onto now ;)**

**ALSO, I wanted to mention that if you guys have any questions about the different settings of the chapters, I'll definitely explain through PM. I'm referring to a MK map for the certain places that we'll go to in this story so I'm being correct with the lay of the land, but this is through Kristi's eyes, so it's not gonna be said word for word, using correct terminology, etc. And I can't describe places for my life. SO explanations are free ;)**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 5: retreating into the shadows**

And we trudge through the green, staying silent until he speaks.

"Up there. See?" he points, and I see a white, square building, about the size of a shed. It's way in the distance. Trees surround us.

The building seems like it's only supposed to be seen by certain eyes.

Suddenly, I stop walking. My eyes squint to study the building further. But that doesn't help me.

"Have I—have…what?" I mutter, apparantly loud enough for Philby to hear.

I…_I know this place._

"What did you say?" the boy turns around, his patience wearing thin, having decided that all I'm ever going to do is aggravate him more.

"I…nothing. Nevermind." I say, shaking it off. It's a ridiculous thought, anyway.

And by the time I've thrown the thought away to the shadows, we've reached the building. Philby jogs up to it, and knocks with his fist two times on the silver door, creating two heavy clangs.

Another bang signals back from the inside and he reaches inside his pocket, pulling out a key to match the color of the door, and turns it in the lock.

"Who's in there?" I ask.

I reprimand myself. _That was a stupid question._

He looks to me and smirks, his look of victory growing now as he opened the door. "I think you and I both know the answer to that."

*Light floods into the night as he waves me along, hurrying me. I scurry to the threshold and pause as I see it finally.

Philby shuts the door behind me. I jump, let out a little shriek and turn around only to see it was the door. I turn around cautiously, not completely ready to see what was here.

The room's full of unorganized stacked up boxes , miscellaneous props, and store merchandise. It's lit by eight candles placed strategically throughout the windowless interior. Enough light.

But that's not what burns in my eyes.

**Five faces look back at me, some clutching their phones, some clutching nothing but their own hands.

The see me, and aren't alarmed, but aren't completely undaunted either.

"Is this Kingell?" the dark-haired girl asks, breaking the ice, confident in her words. She's sitting on one of the boxes, like the rest of them.

"Yeah." Philby responds.

She almost smiles. What comes out is a sly grin. "Alright then."

Philby turns to me. "Let's talk."

I nod cautiously as the Kingdom Keepers look on, all of their expressions composed except for the brave one, who was smirking contently.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Tell me. I'd be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

**TO JESSIE: YES I PUT THAT THERE ON PURPOSE**

**TO JESSIE: IF YOU DON'T GET WHAT I'M SAYING THIS IS REALLY AWKWARD**


	7. chapter 6: returning to the shadows

**AAAAAAND HERE WE ARE.**

**This chapter was A BLAST because ever since I laid eyes on the Keeper's NAMES I've wanted to write them in a serious and almost dark-humor-ee way. And I've never had a chance until NOW. THE TIME HAS COME! *runs through door***

**Which is THE PERFECT EXCUSE to write TOUGH AMANDA! (yes dear Jessie, I need something to hold onto 'til you update COUGH)**

**So I'm gonna add onto my list of challenges for this story and attempt to create an SUPERMEGAFOXYAWESOMEHOT tough Mandy. 'Cause she's just an insane joy to write when she's got that extra punch in her. 'Kay? 'Kay. (And a little bit of Mother Hen Mandy to Kris…she has that mature leaderly way to her, right?)**

**A NOTE ABOUT THE WAY I'M GONNA DO THINGS: I have a couple little me-fanons. Alright? ****_Me-fanons_**** meaning facts about a certain topic I believe to be true EVEN THOUGH they've been established in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAY. In this, I'm gonna describe the Keepers the way ****_I_**** see them. Nothing against the already amazing published words of Mr. Pearson…this is how they're gonna be for this story. It's called fanfiction ;P**

**ALSO: Okay, I know I messed up the tenses in this. The first two chapters are past and the rest is present-I _know _is doesn't flow right. And, quite frankly, if I had the ability to manipulate the English language, I would have some verbs present and some verbs past in this. (I probably could, but it's a bad habit and will get me nowhere in English IV.) I hate correcting my past verbs to be present in this because, in my insane _grammar-rules-nowhere_ mind, some verbs are MEANT to be a certain way in tenses. BUT. Think of this as the present, and when she wasn't in WDW as...the past. See what I mean? Ugh, I'm created more problems than solving them.**

**SONG CONNECTIONS:**  
**THIS CHAPTER: "Me and My Big Mouth" from ****_Lost _****AT THE STAR IN THIS till 0:25. The tiny change of song flow can be wherever you want but I read it with the last two lines and that went well.  
I needed something to close and this fit PERFECTLY.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 6: returning to the shadows**

_"So,"_ says one of them, pointing a blue sparkling stick to the wall map. "This is what we know."

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, a box on the right of the girl who spoke up earlier. The boy with the stick—it looked more like something that sold in the princess section of a costume store—gestures to the picture of the castle on the wall, then looking to me.

"You got a new wand?" the girl next to me asks the boy, smiling profusely, twirling a finger around her hair.

"Shut up. You're the one with the powers." the boy snarls, looking away from me and staring daggers at her.

She then wiped all joking off her face and almost looked like she was going to stand up, but was stopped by the girl on her left, who hisses, "Hey! Easy."

The girl sitting across from us stifles a snicker with her finger but then looks away. I try to make it look like I wasn't interested in their brief episode.

"Okay!" Philby claps, and points to the wall map, ready to move things along. He was standing against a mountain of boxes covered by a sheet, phone in hand. "Enough of that. Continue?"

"Alright then," the boy with the pointer says, pretty agitated with the interruptions as well. Philby went back to his phone. "Let's regroup. So we got a little problem with…um…uh…you?" He now points to me. "What's your name?"

I turn to face the rest of the teenagers. I give a small wave.

It just screamed awkward. "Kristine." Another one. "Hi."

"Okay." He offers a smile. But it was gone quicker than I could notice it. "So, _Kristine._" He points to an area on the map that has clumps of trees and a river running through it. Something gray stood in the middle of it. "And sister Carolina was spotted here—"

"It's Georgia." I correct.

He stops. Then he says, "Okay. So Wyoming—"

_"It's Georgia,"_ I say coolly.

_On my own  
"You need to see this through."  
Pretending  
Who am I?  
In whatever's left of tonight_

Now he faces me and puts his arms in an _I surrender_ position. "Okay." he mumbles. "No joking. Alright then."

He continues. "Spotted here. So Philbo here texted us, and at that point we were in in T-Land." His pointer directed to a circle white building. I recognize it from when I first crossed over. "We booked it to here." He slammed the stick's bottom to the floor. "Our little hidey-hole. _The Hide-out._"

"Well, are we gonna do something?" the girl who tried not laugh earlier asks. "I mean, we gotta find her."

"We're not making any decisions until he's back," Philby answers right away. He sighs and shakes his head. "Which may be never."

Next to me, the girl looks down and bites her lip. She proceeds to pick her already mostly-off black nail polish, which lead me to sneak a look at mine, at a better condition than hers. The girl to her left finds her hand and held it without a word, her attention unnerving.

But the girl's head was down for only a matter of seconds, and she'd brought it up again, snapping on that over-confident look again. She kept the girl's hand for a little bit then let go.

Her shoulder-length, poker straight hair, color identical to mine, was down. Pale skin. The black camisole and pants she were wearing set off her ocean eyes. Her sudden mood change but immediate bounce back to normal made me feel uncomfortable. I could tell it wasn't just as easy as throwing a look on._ I knew it for a fact _it wasn't easy pretending you were okay. And she did it so…_effortlessly._

And the girl who had her hand shared her features except for the black V-neck and the broken, hurt green eyes. She hadn't spoken much in the past few minutes and something told me she wasn't planning to.

Amanda and Jessica Lockhart. Sisters.

Fairlies.

Out of all the mysteries of this series I loved…the question of Fairlies pounded in my head the most.

And it _fascinated_ me.

"Yeah, but he has to be getting back soon," the girl across from us rationalizes. "We would've gotten a text if he was held up."

"Okay, but we didn't." Philby was getting tired of this, I could tell. "I don't know how else to put it."

The girl almost objected but stopped, clamping her mouth shut and looking back to the boy with the pointer for something else. Her brown hair was parted, and every so often she nervously combed through it with her fingers. Fitted henley t-shirt and the darkest brown eyes I've seen.

Isabella Angelo. They call her Willa.

"If I didn't know any better, Dell, I'd think you're trying to replace somebody." a girl I almost completely forgot about remarks, her expression the very face of scorn.

"Yeah. That's the last thing I need," Philby fires back.

The questioner had blonde hair, crystal perfect blue eyes, over the shoulder black top and an air that read loud and clear she wasn't all that impressed. She leaned against the wall on her box, her knees to her chest and arms slung over them.

Charlene Turner.

And the boy, who had now started to argue with Willa and at the look of it wasn't stopping anytime time soon had dark skin, short hair and a confident stance. Ready to make a joke. Or pick a fight.

Terrence Maybeck. But we were to call him by his surname. Yet, judging by how the girls had been addressing him, I wasn't sure what the deal was anymore.

As Charlene and Philby started to voice their opinions on the other side of the room, Amanda gently taps the side of my leg.

"Dancer," she says, staring me down playfully.

I shake my head. I wasn't surprised she thought that. "No."

"Aw." she pouts. "Okay." She looks to the other side of the room and thinks. Then she turns to me. "Writer."

I'm startled but don't show it. Slowly I shake my head _yes_ and a ghost of a smile grows on my face. "Yeah," I admit.

"That's cool," she compliments. "You don't see that a lot. I never would've guessed."

"A lot of people say that," I smile, embarrassed, to the floor. I don't think she heard me.

Amanda then looks over to her sister. Jess's face still didn't show any welcome. Amanda then stands up, walking to her and whispering something. They talk like this for a while, Amanda glancing toward me every couple moments.

I turned away from them and put my chin in my hands and my elbows on my knees. This was going to be a long night of secrets.

My eyes had gone to Willa as I scanned the room. She smiles and waves. "Hey. I'm Willa."

"Kristine." I nod.

"Yeah," she says. "Sorry about them," she apologizes, gesturing to Philby, Maybeck, and Charlene, who were shouting at each other behind her. "You always need to keep them occupied. Otherwise _this _happens."

"I see." I grin.

All was silent as she looked at me, her eyes full of remorse. My eyes had trailed away.

"We'll find her." Willa says.

I, startled, turn to her again.

"We're gonna find her. You see them, they don't believe you. But I do," she says. "I know what a worried sister looks like."

I smile gratefully. "Thank you."

Suddenly, the door bursts open. The Keepers instinctively jerk around. Maybeck held something I couldn't see completely.

The candles had gone out with the sudden gust of wind. Darkness. All I can hear is heavy breathing from all of us.

Philby shines his phone to the door and we see an figure, illuminated by the ghostly, fake white light.

It was a boy, tall, brown hair, bright green eyes. He held his phone.

"Oh my God," Amanda chokes out, runs to him, and holds him tightly. The boy shuts the door behind him before he returns the embrace and whispers in her ear.

She rocks back and forth, repeating over and over again, "I didn't know where you were. I didn't know where you were and I was so scared—"

"Amanda, I'm okay now," Finn Whitman says, pulling away and placing his hands on her face. "I got back. I'm safe, see?"

She laughs through tears. "Don't you scare me."

"Okay, lovebird reunite done." Maybeck says. Philby had lit the candles again. Maybeck, aggravated, continues. "What did you do with him, Finn?"

"Are you joking? I get a _'anyone know a Kingell?'_ on my phone with no explanation. I'm gonna leave Aladdin to fix his own problems."

Finn now directs this to me, his arm around Amanda and her head on his shoulder. "So you're her?"

"She's Krissie," Amanda says immediately after. "She's a writer."

I instantly feel my face go red and my hands begin to find each other to wring. _That's not really a thing I_ _share with people,_ I want to tell her.

"Oh, God no. You're not one of those creepy fanfiction writers who does those insane pairings," Willa says from the back.

I laugh. "Haha. Sorry, no." It was true. Paritally.

"Good." She grins.

"Okay, Krissie," Finn says, using the nickname that Amanda had so openly given me. "We've decided we're gonna help you."

And the room erupts in argument as soon as the words reach everyone's ears. I'm confused by the commotion and squint my eyes shut, my head down.

"SHUT UP!" Amanda yells. Everyone quiets considerably.

But Charlene doesn't. "You're joking." she says. After seeing serious faces, she mutters. "You've got to be kidding me…"

She smiles sarcastically. "Okay, right. Sure." She now looks to us. "You're telling me we're gonna waste a night and help this little _ten year old_ while we can be helping people we can_ actually hear speaking."_

"It's the least we can do, she lost her sister—" Finn tries to explain but is interrupted.

"We don't even know how she _got here_!" Charlene raises her hands.

_"Charlie!"_ Willa scolds.

"Don't _Charlie_ me," she seethes.

"What if it was Marie?" Finn says to Charlene.

Silence.

"What if it was your sister?" he repeats. Charlene awkwardly plays with the hem of her shirt.

"Yeah," Finn continued, triumphant. "If it was little Maura I would be scared too." He looks to me.

"Look, I get annoyed by my sister, but no matter much that happens I would be insane out of my mind if she was lost. I imagine you're the same way too."

"She's my…everything," I whisper, looking down, blinking back tears, overwhelmed by the thought of Georgia _gone_.

"And that's why we're gonna help you." he says, now squeezing Amanda's hand. Willa's hand was rubbing my shoulder. "We're going to find her."

*Maybeck grabs the thing he had earlier again. I'm able to see now it's a silver blade.

Finn has our unwavering attention. He looks to Amanda for consent. She encouragingly nods, her eyes meeting mine.

Finn speaks. "We're going out there."

The expression of solemn eagerness on everyone's face matches mine.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Tell me. I'd be more than happy ****to clear things up. :)**

**P.S. I needed to give the sisters names. That's what the two-derivitives-of-Mary are all about. (I like to think Charlene's French and Finn's Irish...yeah.) I don't recall Finn's sister being officially named. If she was outside of the series, oh well, I JUST GOT A ME-FANON.**


	8. chpater 7: screaming into the shadows

**LET THE JOURNEY…BEGIN!**

**I'm listening to Les Miz (First, in French, but then I gave up because I was singing along in English and I just wasn't feeling it**** so English "Castle on a Cloud"! Wait now it's "Lovely Ladies". OKAY NEXT SONG) and I'm being interrupted EVERY FIVE SECONDS because I need to do the song connections and I'm like, "NO! I CAN'T PAUSE THIS SONG!" so yeah…****_c'est ma vie_****…I almost typed that without the help of Google translate but got "my" wrong…grrr…**

**And this chapter was ANOTHER BLAST. The second part. Not one. I've had the first part since August, like, ****_the _****_Radiant era,_**** and I had legit no clue what to do with it. And I got part deux maybe a month ago. You know how it goes :P**

**I'm adding Willa to the Mother Hen club lol. I mean, it's nothing unnatural, we've seen Mama Willa a ton on this little website here, but I tried it in WNTET and failed. ****_Miserables_-lee****. SO, ****_moi_**** needs some redeeming.**

**SHAMELESS PLUG! All Ridely Pearson lovers, go to my recently uploaded post. It's all in caps. You can't miss it. Go. GO! READ THIS FIRST! THEN GO!**

**THIS CHAPTER-  
THINGS EDITED: ****BLEH. I wanted Kristine's nickname (Krissie) from Amanda to be new. But I got her parents and Georigie calling her that in the car in scene one. RAWR. I just took the ****_Krissie's_**** out of chap 1. JUST PRETEND SHE'S NEVER BEEN CALLED KRISSIE BEFORE AMANDA. 'Kay? 'Kay.**  
**SONG CONNECTIONS #1: "Learning the Skills" from ****_Hunger Games_****. But it begins exactly at one star. That last little punch (I think it's right around 0:03) is on the last sentence of part one. The song continues on through the split. There's a lot of BOOM moments in this that really don't need to be placed anywhere. I just want them in the beginning of the second part. The mellow part of the song begins about third paragraph.  
AND THEN! "Proper Motivation" ****_Lost. _****The title scares the bajeebers outta me.  
Starts at two stars (STARS! HAH! THAT'S—no one gets it). 0:55 at three. (Make sure it hits it there EXACTLY. I'd like a little pause there but eh I can't manipulate music. OOH LOOKIE A PAUSE BUTTON) "Listen up!" is when the song calms down (around 0:25)  
This may be my favorite song in the whole fanmix. Really. I think this song was MADE for this scene. THANKS, MR. GIACCHINO!  
I picked it for this because I want this certain part of P2 to be really frantic and insane and AHHH SENSORY OVERLOAD. Because it is. I just imagine complete chaos when I hear this. Because it is.**

**So here's the beginning of Kristine's _voyage_, what's kept me up for months…all written with "Master of the House" on repeat. _En Anglais_.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter seven: screaming into the shadows**

We sit there, Willa and I, staring at the floor, my thumbs twiddling uselessly. The other Keepers walk back and forth, grabbing things they needed for our exodus. Amanda would nervously go on and on about one of the supplies and then immediately shut up after. And the cycle would continue, the tension growing each minute.

"What does she look like?" she asks.

I glance to Willa. She repeats herself. "What she looks like. Your sister. What was her name again?"

"Georgia." I smile.

"That's adorable," she compliments. "One of those hard to remember names, though." She then adds, probably afraid that I'm sensitive to comments like that. "I like it."

"Thanks." I look away. "She's tiny. Little one, maybe half of me. So she's tiny." She laughs. "And the gold hair. Longer. Curly."

Silence.

I continue because Willa's expression was telling me she needed more. "And the green eyes. Nothing like me." Something inside me screams _and nothing of Jess's_ but for some reason I kept that in. "You know that green on spring flower's stems? Really bright? That's it."

She nods, biting her bottom lip. "You're holding back. Don't do that. You don't need to feel weird describing like a writer. I like that."

And her words hit me hard. I didn't know if I was supposed to feel grateful or embarrassed, that she noticed how much I was hiding.

_So your pain is my pain  
"What have I done?"  
You alone are my joy.  
She crossed the street, her head checking side to side.  
She answered. "Clear."_

But the fact that somebody…somebody...somebody _cared_…it was something new for me, something I didn't know I've been wishing for ever since…

Ever since the words have taken over me.

"Besides, I don't think the writers are creepy," she says, placing her hand on my knee. "My favorites are when they ship me with Maybeck."

I snicker. "Are you…" I trail off, my finger gesturing back and forth from her to Philby. I figured, after all she had said to me, this wouldn't be…_too much_ to ask.

She rolls her eyes. "It's complicated." she sighs.

"Okay, we're out," Maybeck says loudly, interrupting the conversation. He circled his arms to the door, obviously addressing us. "Leeet's go."

"It's dark out there," Willa says to him, standing up and stretching her arms.

"Well, strike a match and let's get going," he scowls, turning around to get one more thing for our trip.

_The ground was frozen solid where she stood.  
IT'S TOO LOUD  
We all looked to her, desperately trying to figure out what she was creating. She held it close to her, though, and we couldn't see it.  
Then she abruptly stopped, gasping and gaping at the picture. We all crowded around her, inspecting what was on the page.  
And what we saw was_

"Hello?"

I look up to see a frowning Maybeck.

"You hear me, girl? I said _get moving._"

Willa looks like she was going to fire back but stifles her words as he turns around. He ambles toward the box to close it up.

I'm still sitting, hurt by the words, questioning myself if this is how I want the rest of my night to be.

"The knife," Willa says. She points to the counter, and I see a silver glint. For the first time, she sounded absolutely serious to me.

"Throw it. I know you have _good reaction time_," she says

She passes it to me, and I spin the handle around in my hand, feeling the roughness of the wood. I secure my grip, aim the blade to the box near where Maybeck was standing, and—

Right on target. It answers with a thump as it hit the middle circle on the front of the box.

Maybeck had instinctively moved over when he heard the blade flying through the air and edged his toes over, the middle of his body curving away from the knife to form a backwards C.

He turns around slowly, the first of the reactions from the group, who stand stunned around the room. I sit hunched over on the box, my toes nervously tapping, something of a smirk on my face.

And he matches my expression. "Impressive."

The other Keepers had awkwardly began to go out the door, Amanda apologetically glancing at me in short looks as she bent over to grab her things.

I finally stand up, cross my arms, and stare him down. His hands form that same playful _I surrender_ from before.

When I want an apology, _I get it._

"Alrighty then, Shortie," he says.

"I don't feed off of other people's words to gain _satisfaction_ like _some others_," I remark, taking the supply bag Willa gave me, starting out the door.

*I add, Maybeck shutting the door behind us and joining me. "I feel my own pride."

* * *

"Let's just start down Main Street, take a look, just so we can say we got this area," Willa advises, by my right side.

We turned the corner, the same corner Philby led me too traveled down get to The Hide-out. Now, with Maybeck in the lead, Finn and Amanda close together behind him, Jess and Charlene barely speaking, and Philby in front of Willa and me, we made our way to the castle.

"We ran into a little problem here earlier," I say, remembering when we heard those voices by the clock. "Philby told you, right?"

"Wait, what?" she stops abruptly. _"You saw some?"_ She did _not_ look happy.

"Um…no, we just thought we heard some." I say, slowly realizing how serious this was. Our cover could have been _blown._

Willa trails off, muttering, leaving me and walking straight up to Philby, whose eyes were glued to his phone still.

"Listen, hun, I don't like this communication," she says to him impatiently.

"What? Is there a problem?" he asks, his eyes not moving from the screen.

"Dell, listen to me," she says. "You saw some with Krissie?"

**I can't hear the words of their conversation anymore, because my ears key into something else.

_"Kristine?"_ I vaguely hear, coming from nowhere, no more than an echo.

I spin around, hearing it again. _"Kristine?"_

Now I know, because it turns into a loud, horrifying scream.

_"KITSIE!"_

_"Georgia!"_ I call out, frantically running around, not gaining any information on where it was coming from. "GEORGIE!"

The Keepers hear my call and turn around. "What's going on?" Charlene demands.

"That's my sister, _that's my sister_!" I say, my volume rising. "That's her! She's around here!"

"KRISTINE!"

"_They're doing something to her!_ GEORGIE!" I scream, not addressing Charlene anymore and breaking through the group, the Keepers moving over as I came through the middle, standing toward the castle. "GEORGIA!"

"Come on, _we gotta_ _help_!" Willa says, completely disregarding Philby and coming up to me and cupping her hands around her mouth to help call out. "GEORGIA! WE'RE HERE!"

"Stop yelling, you're gonna drag them here!" Philby exclaims, slapping her arm down from her face.

She responds, astonished. "Get _off_ of me!"

"Guys, just _calm down_," Amanda says, letting go of Finn and standing between Philby and Willa.

"It's a trap!" Charlene shouts, now next to Finn. "It's _her_!"

I'm hysterical now, watching the commotion, but my mouth still moving. "GEORGIA!"

***Suddenly Finn raises his hand up, a black box with a red button in hand.

"No!" Willa immediately screams, apparently forgetting her problem with Philby. She jumped up and down around Finn, reaching for the button, but she was too short for him. "No, _you can't send us back_!"

"Go back to The Hide-out, Willa!" Charlene shouts to her, and Willa gapes, steaming as she backs up to Jess. "It's a trap! They're probably just waiting for us behind the castle, ready to _take us all_! Even you, kid!" She points to me.

"Please, Charlene, it's her, I know! _That's her nickname for me_!" I say, running up to her, tears streaming down my face. "They wouldn't know that!"

"They know a lot of things. Finn, push that button!" she orders, glaring at him.

"Charlene, we can't just send Kingell home because of—" Maybeck begind, joining in late.

"Oh, so what, _you like her_ now?" she shoots back. "You're protecting her now 'cause she can shoot a knife and everything?"

They begin to argue, and I stand there, shocked by his and her words. I glance at my blade, helplessly alone, not knowing what to do.

"KITSIE!"

I start to sob, the knife coming dangerously close to me in my clutch. Willa comes over to me, taking it away from me and throwing it down. "Don't you dare."

Jess desperately turns to Amanda, who had that same hiding look again.

Amanda throws out her hands to fighting Charlene and Maybeck, and they were thrown back by some wind.

Finn had lifted the fob higher. "Don't be such a—" Amanda says to him, saying things I turned away for. The fob somehow found its way to her hand.

"Listen up!" she yells.

The screaming had stopped.

"Is this how it's gonna be?" she asks us, breathing heavy, her face scarlet from the earlier strain.

"This is staying with me. Charlie—" she immediately raises her voice before Charlene could say anything. "The fob stays with me. I will decide when to push it. And I'm telling you guys right now, that's not gonna be until we find her sister."

Silence.

"We're going to help you. We're not gonna stop until we find her. _I'm_ not gonna stop until we find her," she corrects herself, her voice softening. "Agreed?"

My head down, I nod, holding back tears.

"Well, okay then." She glances at Finn.

"Tomorrowland." she says.

The Keepers slowly join her in the front, Finn taking her hand, Jess staring back at me…almost _hatefully_.

Maybeck taps my shoulder. I turn around.

"Thank you," I say, choking on my words. "For trying to—"

"What she said was true, Shortie." he finally says. I nervously await the next words. "You can throw a knife…_and everything_." He waves his hands playfully.

I laugh through my tears, trying my best to look amused, watching him walk in front of me and join the seven.

Seven becomes eight as I continue on, my head heavier each step, the innocence of my quietness turning into loud, silent cries of hate.

**_Examiner? La critique constructive est acceptée et appréciée._**

**_Tout ce confus? Faites-moi savoir. Je serai plus qu'heureux de vous éclaircir les choses._**

**It would be awesome if you knew what I just said lol :P**


	9. chapter 8: there they are

**THIS CHAPTER:  
****SONG CONNECTIONS: "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation. Ends at 3:57. The little song change before the end is after the last line. Just imagine her walking off like a boss. Yeah.**

**This is a silent chapter, which is why a song with words is needed. I needed the edgiest, most uneasy song I could find that had fortes and ritardandos and a bunch of musical-lingo-I'm-probably-using-incorrectly without the unneeded extra stuffy stuff.**

**This chapter is the transition. (And the most italics I've ever used. I'm sorry, (not sorry), in me brain, italics=angst.) I had the most trouble and most fun with this, because it's the real BOOM HERE YA GO moment. It's no longer some dream. This is _actually happening_. All too fast? She doesn't have time to consider that or not.**

**Yep. Stuff just got real.**

**I suggest we stick to the shadows  
****chapter eight: there they are**

And as I look around, they are sprawled across the ground, copying the objects before them, and hurrying away quicker than I could see.

And I don't bother, figuring that nothing's ever gonna be slow enough for me to recognize.

The seven walk on, in front of me, all talking in their code and in their unknown language. And I don't understand, but it's written loud and clear, in everywhere, in _everything_—understanding _is not_ _my thing._

The signs seem dimmer and shaded, the words seem harder _or easier_ to read, inside and outside my head. We've left The Castle. We've turned the corner, and now we're inside a circle, futuristic colors surrounding us.

From one quick sweep around, we can tell right there: _she isn't here._

What's supposed to be a whisper of defeat dissolves into a world of hurting, a scream of hate, a scream of _my name_—

And nothing, _nothing's making sense, _and I don't know why.

_How did I even get here?_ Wordless answers fly by silently. And something's pulling at me, constantly questioning, _well, if this isn't real, how come_ _so much pain's_ _dropping by?_

Then the cycle continues. I ask. I get nothing.

With a disappointed head down we're led out of this blinding world of white and will be taken to some other completely different universe, the answer _not here either _dangling above our heads, teasing and taunting and calling names.

And I feel worse each step, _just like it was in the real world_, I'm reminded, the realization eating at me and muttering _why bother?_

The earlier words knock me down. Little. Young. Quiet.

Writer.

_Is that what this is for?_ Words' sake? Well, if it was for the words, where are they? I haven't had a flash in hours.

And I could just _feel it_—inside of me, the change, the dark void, the silence of going on—

It matches the faces of them. This, this _dry, dark_ motive, this meaning to hold my head up and just disregard all other worries and pain…

_I'm done._

_I didn't get a chance _to dance around life, to live like a free person. No, the words took hold of me long ago, singing their sweet_ sweet_ promises of pleasure_._ No, all they meant, _all they intended to_ _give_ was years and years and _years_ of _suffering_.

And now? Now they took away the most precious thing of mine, the only thing that understood what it was like to _never be alone._

But now, _oh, now_ the decision was made by _whoever controlled the words _to just throw me around, give me something to hold onto, and then, _steal_ it away.

_How does it feel to get your heart ripped out?_ I feel like screaming to the seven_. Oh, it doesn't feel good, trust me. How does it feel to have everything you  
know be discovered to be merely make-believe?_

Breathing heavily, I make my realization words.

I'm no longer a little girl whose voice can't be heard.

The innocence is gone.

I know what the black hole is now.

No more shying away. No, _now _I'm gonna speak loud and clear.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated. ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'd be more than happy to clear things up :)**


	10. chapter 9: laughing in the shadows

**GUYS.**

**GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS -AH.**

**I HAVE THE MOST FABULOUS NEWS YOU WILL EVER HEAR IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.**

**ridleypearson is following my tumbLRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH **

***dying***

**OMG I CAN'T EVEN**

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLELUIA**

**THIS CHAPTER:**  
**SONG CONNECTIONS: SILENT CHAPTER. There's nothing that can fit this insane thing I'm about to write. I'm preparing for civil unrest, you guys. BARRICADE THE HOUSE! *starts throwing poptarts against the door* *catluver3 wheeree are youu***

**SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: BALARGALARGH. I forgot to thank mah sister Jessie (we're both Andrew Garfield Fairlies…) for beta-ing last chappie. It was, like, really late at night (it was 7:00 pm) and I was all like "WHOO-AAAA JESSIES HELP MEH" and she's all like "OKAY BUT ANDREW'S STILL MINE!" Tanks! :P**

**PLEEEAAASEEE REEEAAAD: Elle and I are spreading the KK pride. How? Shouting "DARK PASSAGE IS NEAR" into everyone's ears. Wanna do the same? All ya gotta do is put "DARK PASSAGE IS NEAR" on your profiles/stories/everywhere you can possibly think of. The word's gonna spread like wildfire once it hits social network sites. Put it on your t-shirts, on your dashboards, ON YOUR DOGS (no honestly lulu's done that), SPREEEAAAD THE WORD. C'MON. LET'S MAKE KINGDOM KEEPERS A THING. LIKE, A REAL THING. MAKE EEEVERYONE KNOW THE NAME OF THE GREATEST HEROES OF OUR GENERATION. (I have a tumblr dedicated to this project: darkpassageisnear. tumblr. c o m )**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter nine: laughter in the shadows**

We've began to cross under arches in dark escape. Still, no sign of anything remotely close to movement.

I jerk back suddenly every few minutes, swearing I sense something behind me. Time after time, I realize it's just nerves out of control.

The architecture around us portrays a fantastical world, with whimsical shingled roofs and vines against the faded blues and reds. Not so much full of outside attractions rather than shops and eateries.

Maybeck slows his pace so he meets mine. The Keepers are dispersed in front and in back of us, apparently on our way to the other side of Fantasyland.

I'm still jarred by his comment earlier, his sudden protection. It makes my face feel red, but I'm able to calm my excitement before he speaks.

"So, Shortie, what's with the whole _disappear for five minutes before you actually blink _thing?" he asks, gesturing his arms during his definition of my flashes.

"Long story."

"I like stories."

_I never really remember my dreams…that might change it  
On the outside  
Leap, prancer, dance for joy  
Illa diversis_

"What does _Kristine_ mean?"

"Follower. What does_ Terrence_ mean?"

"I don't know." I laugh. "Probably…_leader_," he smirks.

We're both silent after our laughter, smiling with crimson faces. "Follower, hmm," he mutters. "So, you believe in nature and all that?"

"Sorry?" I ask, not exactly sure what that meant.

"Nature. You think it's got something to do with everything?"

"Well, naturally—" I stop, seeing his reaction and scrunching up my nose at his grin, "I think it's got a power over the world, and such. I mean, not over everything, I know that…the trees, the wind, the, well, _everything_...it just doesn't seem incidental."

I wait for that to sink in. "There's just…a...a _magic_ about it."

"Interesting," he nods. "You have deep talks all the time?"

"Oh, yeah, totally. Every Friday," I beamed.

Something about his expression told me he wanted something else.

"Haha." he finally remarks.

"You know, I like you, Shortie. You're tough and all. You don't make too much noise. Not that I hate noise—"

"Yeah, you make it," I add.

"You just…you just need to look out. I mean, watch out for yourself."

Inside, everything twists up, my head buzzing out of control, sparks flying uncontrollably, all the while my outside showing nothing but an agreeable nod. I knew, _I had to know_ he was nicely telling me to be more aware. Maybe the other six sent him over to say this because he hadn't burnt a bridge with me yet.

But his warning honestly and truthfully felt like his own.

One part of me wanted to explain to him everything about how I _can't _stop it. And the other part…_appreciated_ his concern, found it dear and…sincere.

"And we are gonna find her," he adds.

I inhale through my teeth. "I keep on hearing that same thing, over and over again, _constantly_, and yet—"

"Well, we just got started. Give us time to circle the park once," he jokes.

His humor lightens things, but nothing can fill that void, still inside me, with no sign of fading. Yes, it had only been hours—three, I guess at most, and that was a stretch—and yet, my whole life seemed to be taking place _that night_. It felt so _present_, so_ real_, happening _right now_—unforgiving, yes, but regrettable?

I couldn't answer that question now, especially with all of these new feelings coursing through me, their drive pulsing.

And now, with his words…I was left wondering the real meaning.

All I could do was comply when he waves me over to the main of the group, remarking I wasn't fast enough and they'd leave me for the dust of I didn't pick up the pace.

So I do, glancing over to him time to time, and he does so to me.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated, ask away, yadda yadda yadda.**

**Jus' sayin'. I just stretched to the limit of my me-fanons. I WILL DO NO MORE.**

***whispers***

**...krisbeck…**


	11. chapter 10: listening to the shadows

**THIS CHAPTER:  
SONG CONNECTIONS: HEY! TEST O' MEMORY! Remember when I said I'll reuse an overture for a connection? THAT'S NOW! "Kate's Motel". Honest, this song probably fits better as a connection with this than an overture, but I had something really weird as the ot (HEH OT) before so it needed changing. And Kate was there, in her usual "PICK ME" way.  
There are some boom moments (aren't gigantic, though) in here. I'm gonna let you assign them where you see fit. The decline in the song, though, is at one star.**

**This chapter...I won't say a thing. Nope. Sorry. **

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 10: listening to the shadows**

"Okay, guys, let's take five," says Finn. "We'll continue to the Square in a few."

Worried faces sit down on street corners, taking a water break or whispering hurriedly. Maybeck offers me his extra water bottle.

"Thanks," I say.

"Amanda." I see Jess behind Amanda's left. Amanda, who was examining her nails again, turns and fixes her attention on her. Jess waves her over.

Amanda, looking concerned, slips away and follows Jess into a door she was standing behind.

By the time I had noticed that, Maybeck had joined Finn, Philby, and Willa who were on the other side of the street sitting in a circle, talking in hushed voices.

Replaying Jess's look on my face, I knew she wasn't just getting her sister for a recap. And the way Amanda followed her, it almost seemed like…like...like she knew.

Curiosity gets me again as I stand up, and, as normally as I can, retrace their steps and stand with my back to the door the sisters went through. The others probably won't notice me gone.

The sign above me reads something about a "village". Slightly, I crack the door open without a sound.

In the blackness I can make out both of them. They had just gotten to the back of the room.

"Okay, Jessie, what's this now?" Amanda's voice asked, sounding restless.

"Listen, I'm not expecting you to believe me, but just _listen to me_—"

"No! I won't hear any of it. I mean, I'm definitely not saying it_ can't be_, it's just that…"

"Don't judge on looks," Jess says harshly. "You know that well enough."

"It's just that—"

"She has the—"

_"Lots of people_ have that! I mean, look at Ch—"

_"Shh!"_ Jess exclaims.

Silence.

I, feeling uneasy, cautiously move back, afraid they can hear me being there.

The _she's_ echo in my head. I was able to convince myself that there are many different _she's_ they could be talking about.

But I couldn't fool myself from the fact that I had something to do with this conversation.

"I just—" Amanda explains slowly, her voice lowering considerably. "There's no way to prove it. Unless you wanna tell me something, some groundbreaking information—"

She's shut up right away. I can see one figure hand over something flat to another.

"But…" Amanda's voice struggles to get out, "But that's _not_ _possible_—"

Jess points to the something. I hear a soft, scratchy thud.

_In your multitude  
Good with people, are you?_  
_And the first rumblings of thunder sounded  
She won't know there's much more of the same_

"Black," she says, her eyes bearing into Amanda's.

A minute of silence and Amanda shoves the thing back into Jess's hands. "Come on, let's get out of this dismal place," she mumbles.

The sound of her footsteps wake me up as they come closer and closer. I'm barely on the street curb with my back to the building before they come out of the door.

*I hear the rough step of Amanda's high tops halt as she sees me, and then slowly continue again, sneaking looks at me with forced grins. Jess doesn't even try to look friendly.

I want to say something...but I can't. Slowly, I get up and follow them back to the Keepers.

"Where you guys been?" Finn asks Amanda.

"Oh, nothing. Thought we hear something. We're fine." Amanda answers, glancing back to me with a smile.

Finn looks for me for an agreement. I nod, wondering just how Amanda covered for us so easily.

"Okay. Let's get going." He says, still eying the sisters.

The last thing I see before I force myself to look away from the two is Amanda folding up a piece of paper and shoving it in her pocket.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

**DARK PASSAGE IS NEAR.**


	12. chapter 11: describing the shadows

**AHAHA FAIL. I JUST realized I forgot to mention Charlene last chapter in that little circle they were in! Lol! *i regret nothing she stole finn from amanda THAT KISS***

**THIS CHAPTER-**  
**SONG CONNECTION: None…lol. I honestly have no clue what goes with this. But it doesn't really need anything. I don't know. Maybe something "Kate's Motel"-ish. Or not. Whatevs.**

**I've had this since Thanksgiving. Yay food. It's really not that important. *yes it is.* It's just for my enjoyment. I love seeing Krissie all flustered.**

**Now I can't write as nearly as good as Krissie can. Okay? So I did my best it making it hers without making it awkward and all weird. *HERE'S DA THING: She's supposed to be awesome. And she's the role model here, I look up to HER...so my little Kris moment in here is only trying to match the way she goes.***

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 11: discovering in the shadows**

And in the distance, I can see a complete change of scenery—there's brown brick buildings, green bushes, and tall trees high in the sky.

I recognize this place, but don't know what it is. My mouth moves, trying to sound out the name, but all I get is a frustrated sigh.

I realize that I have stopped in my effort to recall the name. Willa appears by my side, pointing and whispering. The other Keepers had gathered around, looking on like us. Jess had pulled Amanda aside and they were whispering again, off to our left.

"That—" Willa says to me, "that's Liberty Square."

_She came up closer, glaring at me until I was forced to look away.  
"And tell me…why is it you always say that?"  
_  
"Liberty Square," I whisper, knowing the name, but not knowing how. I have never been to Disney, only within the Keeper books…but somehow, I didn't know—

"Do you have your extra phone?" she asks me, snapping me out of my questions.

"Uh, yeah," I say, reaching for my backpack. The Keepers had another phone—from an unnamed source, for that matter—and decided to let me use it for the night.

"Can I have its number? You know, in case we get separated."

"Sure." I open up the phone to search for its number.

She looks down at her phone. "How do you spell your name?"

"Kristine—the way with the K—Leigh—well, that's my middle name, you don't need that—Kingell. K-I-N-G—"

"Wait a minute—" Maybeck interrupts. "Kristine Kingell—Kristine…Kris Kingell?" he says, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Ha-ha. Very funny." I see the smiling faces of the Keepers and add, "It doesn't help that my birthday's on Christmas Eve."

I'm met with "No ways!"'s and "Whoa, cool!"'s*. I smile wider, seeing their surprised reactions. By far, the most enthusiastic.

"Okay, I just have to ask—do you get cheated on presents?" Maybeck grins.

"No! Everyone asks that!" I say. "Well…maybe." Laughter.

Suddenly, I feel a chill—on my arms, my hands—and I get that reminiscent feeling again. I can easily reach back each year and feel the annual feeling of that happy, happy time—and I can't control myself from speaking.

"Besides, I couldn't care less about present anymore—I'm fourteen, remember. But what's the best is that it's…I don't know, _Christmas Eve._ It's the best time of year, I agree. But it's just that all around…the snow, the way it falls every year right before…I used press my nose up against the cold window and just seeing the _wonderland, _how everything's silver and the whole world _stops _for a moment and the trees are laced with the snowflakes and the green and red's all gone, no more of that…"

I stop rambling to see their stunned faces as we walk on. I mentally scold myself, seeing yet again how I let the writer come out.

A sharp pain hits me and I remember how she used to sit on the couch and look on. With _me_. Together.

I add, my quiet impulse taking over.

"I don't do that much anymore…but it's still nice."

"Sure is," Maybeck replies, kicking a pebble that was in his way.

"I wish is snowed here," Willa sighs. "It must be really nice in—"

"Jersey," I help.

"Jersey. I've never seen snow."

"You'd love it. But don't ask me to draw a picture. I can't draw for my life," I admit, trying to recreate that comfortable moment again.

"No, you don't draw pictures." She seems to be taking in the area around her, grateful for the temporary vision. "You say them."

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

***I don't know if that's grammatically correct but I don't really care! Yay for non-grammatical-correctness!**

**YES I MIGHT HAVE SELFPLUGGED BUTTHATSWHATMAKESITFUNNNN**

**DARK PASSAGE IS NEAR.**


	13. chapter 12: challenging the shadows

**GUYS GUYS!**

**i forgot about Georgia lol**

**WHAT THE HECK? Okay, I'm NOT supposed to be more than halfway through the story. That makes NO sense. I must thank you guys, though, for making these pasts four months seem like four days. (HEH FOUR GET IT) It means a lot when you're itching all week to write a new chap and then on Friday not wanting to because I DON'T WANT IT TO ENDDDD**

**SPE-SEE-AL ANNOUNCEMENT: GUYS R Pearson announced how KK7's gonna work! (I know this is a bit obvious to all of the fanbase but still I needed to say it.) GO GOOGLE NOW. For the exact info go see my friends at the KK Alliance. PLEASE keep on spreading the word about 6. RP said it himself: Tell ten friends. Pwetty pweases?**

**THIS CHAPTER:**  
**SONG CONNECTIONS- "Kate's Motel" (I'M **_**SORRY**_** THAT SONG'S JUST SO VERSATILE) Just imagine the song sounds different. There may different versions of this song from different seasons. I don't know. If you're bored with this song change the key. Good? Good.**

**This was absolutely SO AMAZING to write guys. I was so afraid to begin it, because I DID NOT wanna mess this one up…but I just needed to get started and it all flowed from there. I mean, some was unneeded, some I just HAD TO, but lemme tell ya I spent many a night at the roller rink skating this out. *this was created during a period of insane fixation for a certain tv show and i wasn't about to go change it because i'm not that crazy anymore.***

**A NOTE: Yes, I did something different with…a…something in here. Why? Eh I liked it.**

**I JUST WANNA RESTATE THIS: Just wanna say it again, the grammar in this won't be perfect. It's a fourteen year old girl, what do you expect. (Nah, that shouldn't be an excuse, she's supposed to be a grammar freak, but when your sister is missing and you're questioning your very sanity I don't think the pronouns will be flawless).**

**ONE MORE THING: Next week I won't be updating because I have to read KK6 (AHHHH) and get caught up with this. I was really messed up last week because I had Tech Week and you know what that does to you…so I just need to bet back to two weeks ahead. Plus, a break from annoying my author's notes would be good for all of us.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 12: challenging the shadows**

"Mandy," Finn says to her, walking by her side. "You think we're good?"

She glances up at the western scene in front of her. It seems empty…but we couldn't call it safe.

Amanda looks to Finn and nodded. She crosses the street, her head checking side to side.

She turns back, looking for our figures in the shadows. "Clear," she answers.

My eyes squint at the scene, sensing something…strange about it. Like I could _feel_ the safeness before it was cleared.

"Whitman," Maybeck calls out from the back. "I'm not so sure that I'm the only one here surprised that we haven't run into something."

They speak such a secret code, so silent, but everyone knew what he meant. Including me.

"We can't run away from the fact that something's bound to go wrong sometime tonight," I heard Charlene mumble. She hadn't spoken all night.

"Let's take it hour by hour." Finn says, not harmed. "That's all we can do now, isn't it?" he asks me now, turning to see me, offering a smile.

I'm about to return it but I'm interrupted by her.

"Guys," Willa says warily. We all stop by her tone of voice, and turn to see what it was.

Jess had stopped in the middle of the road, her hands over her ears.

"Oh my God…" Amanda says, clutching Finn's hand.

We're frozen by the sight, afraid to breathe and ruin the silence.

My heart jumps: she's seeing something.

Jess starts breathing heavy and rocking back and forth, mouthing _no_.

"I…" I begin, but am unable to finish, and I don't know why.

Her mouthings become indistinct words, like someone crying out for help during a nightmare. Finally, we can understand, and she can make it out loudly between large and panicked breaths—"I need some paper here!"

"Coming!" Amanda exclaims, suddenly doing something about the situation. She looks distraught as she turns and throws off her backpack and, dangerously quick, searches for something in the mess. Finally she looks up with tears in her eyes and her eyes back to Jess. "I—I—there is none!"

Completely not herself, Amanda runs up to Jess, worried and visibly showing it. The Keepers search in their bag frantically. There's no use for me to do it, I know there's nothing but my phone and a water bottle in there, not paper—

My hand, by some otherworldly force, touches my pant pocket and feels a bulge.

_My—my—_Somehow, I don't know how, the papers of my first drafts had found their way in there.

Shocked, my hand flounders around till I realize to look down and reach for it. I unfold it, barely making out words on the other side, something about a spotlight and a flame…

"Guys, guys, I got some!" I shout out, still fumbling with the paper. Maybeck looks up from his backpack and sees me hurrying over. I catch his confused stare as I come closer to Amanda.

Her grateful, tear-streaked, _sisterly_ smile breaks my heart as I watch the seer-Fairlie, now staring in my direction, seeming more into it now.

And the hesitation hits me—_this_ is all I have. Am I going to _so willingly_ hand it over to her?

Then I remember how terrible, what a nightmare it was to experience those violent flashes and throw my head around just to make the pain go away…

"Write—" I correct myself, force of habit—"draw on the back."

She looks at me, her gaze unchanging. Now I see the hollowness in her eyes. She seems annoyed and still out of it. But I knew she recognized my voice, and that didn't help any.

Desperate because of their impatient stares, I offer a smile. "Jess, are you there?" I softly ask, adding a smile. "C'mon." I whisper.

"Take it."

She doesn't say a word. Her sister's pleading expression pushed me even farther.

I add, "Please. I want to see it. We…we want to see it."

It's like she finally agrees as she, frowning, takes the paper, a pen from Amanda, and starts to draw.

I back away, breathless, wondering…what just happened?

Amanda finds my hand and squeezes it. Willa's at my side and whispers in my ear. "Good job."

Maybeck's still eying me. I look back to him, mouthing, "I don't know."

We all looked to her, desperately trying to see what she was creating. She held it close to her, though, so we couldn't see it.

What was it? I needed to know. Jess's face didn't change as she diligently drew each little mark. I didn't have a clue, but it was definitely not simple…

Then she abruptly stops, gasping and gaping at the picture. We all crowd around her, inspecting what was on the page.

And what we see causes an uproar in our little group. Maybeck protectively stands in front of me, his arms back.

"What is it?" I ask, nervous now.

Silence.

Then Charlene starts arguing with Philby and I demand louder.

"_What is it?"_ I shout.

"Wanna see who it is? It's you," Charlene snaps back, ripping the paper from Jess hand's.

Amanda shouts. "Hey!" But Charlene comes back again.

"Don't want her to see it, _Fairlie_?" she asks her.

Amanda's not gonna fight anymore as she backs up to the drained Jess.

Charlene thrusts the paper out and I take it, giving a second to frown back at her.

"Oh…oh…this isn't me," I say,

The girl on the picture was much older, no doubt. Taller. It was done with a blue pen, so I don't know the color of the hair, but I do know it's not mine, because it's wavy and long. Same dark eyes. White tank top and dark pants. She was prettier…I was quick to admit that. She was older, not…_awkwardly small_ like me…For that reason, I was confused about why she could have _ever _thought it was _me_.

But the thing that confused me most of all…she had a white glove on her left hand and a black bike helmet on her right.

And she stood there, almost as if she was challenging us. _Come on in, _she seemed to whisper.

The Keepers slowly crowded around me and stared her down as I was doing.

"I still think—" Willa starts.

"Absolutely not. She's…" I trail off.

"She looks like that chick from _Lost_," Finn remarks.

"No way. She's…well, and you're…" Maybeck says, gestures to me.

We lock eyes for a minute, and I don't know if it's an apology or a reassurance. But we're interrupted by her.

"_White gloves!_ Are you _kidding_ me?" Charlene says.

"When you going to give that up, Charlie?" Finn asks. He's done with this argument.

"What happened when you and Amanda saw a white gloved woman at the car wash?" she insisted.

"Enough!" Philby snapped.

Silence.

"And nothing else really makes sense with that anyway," Willa offers. "The helmet? You're not a biker, are you?" she turns to me.

I feel better with her asking me that, her natural approach, the first person not wanting to interrogate me. "No, not at all."

"Well, it's someone else then." she sums up. And she gets to Philby before he can protest. Stronger, she comes back—"_It is_ someone else."

I'm grateful for the reassurance. Being the subject of that picture would've been the last thing I needed. I was already not trusted in so many of their minds…any more suspicion and that would've been the end of it all.

No more looking for Georgia.

_I could feel them approaching  
Don't look!  
A girl with tears in her eyes…_

All I could hope for now was no more spikes of tension, because I could see it in their eyes…none of them were completely convinced that it wasn't me staring back on that piece of paper.

"Let's just put it away, guys. We're wasting time." Amanda says, clearly more somber now, the sudden stress too much and too draining. She shoves it in her pocket—on the other side, not the one with the other paper—and expects everyone to comply. I guess they see how _done_ she id and just has to.

It hits me—I keep on walking, because that's what I have to do—this is the second of flare-ups about me. First between the Fairlies. Now it's spread to the Five.

I need to watch where I step.

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Let me know. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**

**(ABOUT THAT FINN COMMENT…I JUST HAAAD TOO)**

**DARK PASSAGE IS NEAR.**

**P.S.—A blessed Easter/Passover/Spring to all! :)**


	14. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**REALLY QUICK UPDATE PLEASE BEAR WITH ME:**

**1. I made another account: like a lion tamer. Contains all of my earlier stuff. Majorly under construction, so it's a mess. I have a post with more details.**

**2. I MEET RIDLEY PEARSON! Guys he LOVED the card. Thanks for taking part in it! Check out my tumblr for the full rant.**

**3. I have a new tumblr project! It's for a KK movie. It's called ****BEFORE SEVEN: A POST A DAY****. Check out my tumblr for the full info.**

**4. THE REAL NEWS THIS A/N WAS ABOUT…it comes with a sad heart that I report to you that ****_I _****_suggest we stick to the shadows_**** is going to be on hiatus for a little while. I need to get my sister account set up and get this new project rolling and I can't fit a ****_good_**** ISWSTTS chap in there. It won't be more than a month. I PROMISE I will be getting back to this. This'll be finished before the school year ends, I promise…but I'll keep you posted.**

**Thanks so much for all of the support already. KK RULES!  
~Mandy  
(Check me out on KK7 INSIDER: Dawn_Quill)**


	15. chapter 13: struggles in the shadows

**I AM BACK!  
WOW that hiatus didn't last long. Thankfully bounced back from a ****_Disney Dream _****load of work, thanks for the encouragement every step of the way! (My work included reading KK6 three times. *dead* Feel free to rant to me over PM.)  
The rest of this story's gonna be pretty easy to write, it's just this chap and maybe a chapter one or two weeks away that's gonna take a lot and be long. I don't see any reason that I would have to go on another break, but…you never know.  
PLEASE READ: I have another multi-chap. In fact, I have maybe ten, but this one I'm specifically talking about I really want to do asap. But I really don't want to have it carry over into the summer. But I really want to get it done. But I really wanna see what a summer of planning will do. So. If I get eight reviews that say "YES MANDY PLEASES YOU MUST DO THIS THING" then I'll do it week after this ends.**

**VERY IMPORTANT LIFE-CHAGNING FACT: I have used the words "look" and "smile" maybe about eight-hundred times during this story. I guess I'm sorry…I should really just change the title to "Look".**  
**Following Ridley Pearson's advice to all writers at the signing, I'm trying to describe better. Because when I comes to painting a picture with words, I say what's necessary and then get to the fluffy dialogue. It's a process. I'm trying to get there. AND IMMA ALLLLMOSTTT THEREEEEE not really**

**THIS CHAPTER:**  
**SOND CONNECTIONS-"Muttations" STARTS AT 1:08 (HAH! REMEMBER WHEN I SAID IT WOULD COME BACK? IT CAME BACK!) at star. Hit 1:20 at 2. 1:55 at 3. 2:14 at 4. AT 2:24 I'LL USE ONE STAR AGAIN. 2:34 at two. 2:47 at three. 3:23 at four. 3:43 at ONE.**  
**NOW, I know that's a bit insane…but it worked. I'll give eight virtual nutella cupcakes to anyone who actually DOES this. (To read it at the pace of the song will be hard. You won't get it the first read, because this chapter's way too short for this song and to fill the gaps in between.)**  
**I HUFFLEPUFFIN' LOVE THIS SONG. I have never had a connection before THIS CONNECT-Y BEFORE. OMG I CAN'T EVEN.**  
**NEW OVERTURE! "Carol of the Bells" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.**  
**Ever since I was, like, maybe 6, this song takes over my life every December. SO this just seemed appropriate since we got a kick-butt Christmas-born chick. I guess she's kick-butt. (It's just that…I'm standing in this hotel last Thanksgiving weekend and they have this light show going on and this song is playing. I mean, I couldn't leave this out.) And things are gon' get REAL crazy here.**

**This lil' *yeahright* chappie here gave me a lot of grief when I started. Thing is, anything involved with heavy movement troubles me. As a writer. Not in real life. I do the Harlem Shake like a boss. But, by the middle, I was having SO MUCH FUN, I couldn't even control it.**  
**This one's a bit more…violent? I don't know, I really wouldn't really say ****_violent_****, but more than I would usually do. Can't always stay within my usual. I enjoyed doing it, I guess. And I wrote the way I first saw it, including add-ins, which I'm pretty proud to say I did. I usually stray far away but this was ****_juuust right._****  
I got the ornament thing in NY Disney store when I saw Peter and the Starcatchers. It like, ****_really happened_****. Thanks, Disney, you've done it AGAIN.**

**GUYS KK7 is in present tense. Which gives me hope for this. Really.**

**DISCLAIMER: Quite frankly, I don't even know if there's a bench in front of a store that has two parts with a carriage with ornaments that comes out around Christmastime and an alley in Fronteirland. I'm sorry, I've searched and searched but Google doesn't divulge that stuff. And I can't hop on a plane to go to Disney in the middle of the school year. That shows my fanfictionness and unworthiness of owningDisneyness.**  
**ONEMORETHINGTHENIMDONEIPROMISE: The store's on the same side as Big Thunder Mountain. They cross over the bridge to the side of Country Bear Jamboree. That's all.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 13: struggles in the shadows**

"I'm getting a weird signal on my phone," Willa calls out. She holds up her phone, slightly shaking it from side to side, but it doesn't get anything.

We're in Fronteirland. It's a long way from the magic and the fantasy of the rest of the park, but the way it's an outcast helps prove its place in this kingdom of diverse lands.

"Yeah…now that you mention it, mine's all strange too…" Amanda said.

"Not mine," Philby says, unharmed, still looking down.

"Yeah, that's 'cause you got the high-speed crazy-connection thingy," Maybeck commented.

I can't keep myself from smiling. He looks back to me and brightens also. A wave of weightlessness passes through me, and I stop walking, afraid if I step any more I'll lose my balance. The lightness makes it hard to breathe.

The exhilaration fades away, slowly, slowly, until I realize I need to catch up. And suddenly, my head seems to contract.

I'm able to screech out, grabbing onto the top of my head, which forced me to almost rip my hair out, bending over.

_Twisting and turning  
Back and forth, backandforth  
Look out for the ones in black  
Lookwhereyoustand_

Flashes come in violent swings, swirling around and around. I'm not able to straighten myself as my head gets heavier, under attack of some kind of—

_Never say die  
Let them fallandfall…_

"Guys!" I hear Maybeck's voice say urgently. "Guys!"

I breathe in through my teeth, relief toying with me as it comes in-between nightmarish spirals of visions, the most random sights coming unexpectedly one after another, colors dancing in front of me, never stopping, _unmerciful_—

_A question?  
Give her to me_

It was never like this! If anything, they were making more sense, actually having a purpose and reason…

Now, it was worse.

_Remarkable  
Never die  
Never again  
Never go that far again_

And suddenly…it all comes crashing down.

_You alone can save them_

It seems like something's lifted from me, and I'm able to breathe out relief. But with that I can't keep my balance and I stumble, inches from the ground—

Maybeck grabs me before I crash. He holds me with his arms around my neck, my head leaning back on his shoulder, not able to hold myself up. He's pulling me away as I try to breathe, try to open my eyes, try to make words…

Breathing heavy, I don't know what to feel…anger, relief, confusion, or this wonderful lightness…

"Down we go," he says, gently spinning me around as he places me on a flat surface.

I can't open my eyes as I rub my hand on the rough surface. A bench.

A jolt of electricity passes through me and I tense up, thinking I'm about to get that seizure again…but I see it's only a wave of familiar mystification.

"Easy, easy…" he says. He's crouching in front of the bench, his hands on my knees, looking concerned.

_The ones in black?_ My mind's stuck to that phrase, and it won't stray away.

"Oh, wow…what _was_ that…" I whisper.

"For a minute there…I thought you were gonna…fall," he says. His hand touches mine, which was twitching.

I look up over his head and see we're far away from the rest.

My hand stays there.

"You sure…you're okay…that's there's no reason for this…"

That paralyzes me. The true reason…I didn't know.

"I-I'm alright." I sighed. "Thank you," I'm able to say.

"I…uh…no problem." He answers.

We stay there. His dark eyes look past mine, my dark eyes look at his. It was real worry that he wore when he carried me, and real worry when he placed me here.

Real feelings, something so new. It took a lot not to scream from the emotions that clustered inside me, about to burst…

The silence is interrupted by a chime. Maybeck looks down to his phone. He glances up in disappointment.

"Finn says they hear something. We need to get inside somewhere. C'mon."

He grabs my hand so he's able to pull me along. The effects of the flash attack still aren't completely gone, and my head sends sharp pains to my eyes and I need to squint them shut, but some of the edge is taken off. My face almost admits this…No doubt, by his hand holding mine.

He leads me inside. The dark walls place everything in shadow, too dim to see what's around. I see Maybeck struggling to make out where he needs to step.

"Watch out here," he whispers.

"Yeah, I see it," I answer. He's referring to the small step in front of me that leads to another part of the shop.

"How can you see _anything_?"

"Blue eyes—well, at least mine—are more sensitive to the light, but can make out more in the darkness."

I see his grin. "Ha-ha. Definitely a writer."

I would blush because of that comment, but there's no reason to. Not enough time.

"This is perfect. In here," he waves along. I see a section of the store that's cluttered with racks and shelves and tiered columns of merchandise.

We crouch behind a shelf of shirts that was a couple feet across. The shirts advertised Magic Kingdom. We're in front of another shelf, identical to the one we're behind. The large, wall-size window is sitting behind that.

I peer up and around, looking at my surroundings in case of a quick escape—

In the middle, something catches my eye: a princess carriage, regal and white, sparkling—with red and green ornaments placed as trimming, around the edges of the openings, round and playing mirrors. White, glittering blossoms were braided through the ornaments, twinkling. It was a Christmas decoration, and we were weeks away from the celebration.

"Wow."

"Pretty, right? The girls love it." He pauses. "You know, they usually bring Christmas decorations out during the beginning of November, and this is the first one we've seen throughout the park…I don't know what's causing the…wait..."

I occurs to me that it's the middle of December and the first red and green thing I've seen, too. "I wanna take a look at this."

"Um…sure." We leave our hiding spot and approach the carriage, my fascination growing each second. I reach out and touch a red ball, taking in the glimmer.

"So pretty…" I whisper. In my examining of the ornament I see a flaw in the surface—there's a nick in the ornament, a scratch that showed the material underneath. Something light brown.

I don't understand why I'm disappointed, but I am. That feeling's short-lived though, as I stare closer into the reflection.

I see my eyes peering in, my lips parted, and Maybeck behind me, leaning forward, studying also. And behind him, by the window, is a shadow of someone in black on a bike—

All goes silent and I become increasingly aware of my pounding heart.

"DOWN!" I shout, just in time for us to drop to the floor and see the carriage go up in flames.*

Smoke envelopes the room and covers our view of each other. Rattled, coughing, I spin around, the shock of the explosion and my reaction too much.

"KRISTINE!" Maybeck's voice shouts out.

I'm immediately able to find him, feeling his hands in front of me, taking hold. I turn around and run a couple steps, then feel my toes around for a disappearance of the floor.

"Got it!" I call out, recognizing the single step. I pass through the shop transition and almost trip. His firm grip stops me from falling.

The gray covering isn't as thick in this part of the shop, so we sprint through the shelves and racks and come out, coughing and eying around.

It takes a while, but my eyes adjust and see the same figure, revving up his motorcycle, his helmet toward us.

I'm unable to comprehend my fear of the picture's truth. _No way he's getting me on that._

**"RUN!" I can make out to Maybeck. He doesn't need an explanation, because he had turned to the biker right after me.

We turn and run and don't look back. Over the bridge we bolt, our heads checking side to side. The wood beneath us creaks and I swear it's going to give every step. My worry grows more and more as I realize the other six are nowhere to be found.

"Maybeck…" I say, as we come off the bridge and see open space in front of us. No sure way to turn.

"I know."

"OVER HERE!" I hear, and instantaneously pivot to the voice. Amanda, concealed behind a tree, waves us over, her face exceeding the normal amount of distress.

"How many?" I ask.

"I don't know, we immediately split up when they came, they got us surrounded…" she replies, breathing heavy, "I say five, but I don't know—"

"What we need to do is lose them," Maybeck says, bouncing back and forth on both toes. "We gotta—"

His head whips around and sees the figure again. We can't tell if he's a different biker, because he's still dressed in the same—

"Were they all wearing black?" I ask as we all backed up to the trees, a dead end, seeing him—him?—coming closer and closer...

"Yes." Amanda says.

And we run.

We break a left and see Finn and Jess darting at the same pace from another biker, who held out a ray gun, flame gun or something—he pulled the trigger, and a fireball shot out, missing Finn by inches.

Amanda said a word she shouldn't say. Maybeck backed up. I anxiously stayed.

"Where's Philby?" Jess called out, now seeing us and coming closer.

"I don't know, he headed towards Fantasy—"

"WATCH OUT!" his voice hollers out, and we drop, another fireball, even more massive than others, zooms by.

"Ten. All the same. I don't know who—" Philby panted to us as we all run next to each other, Jess and Maybeck taking the lead with wide strides and flying arms. Willa appears at my side. "There's—"

"There's Disney bikers...at all!" she yells to us.***

Forcing our arms to go back and forth, we push each step, our faces red and our breathing difficult. Our heads searching everywhere, we see no one, but know they can't be close behind—

****The fear is only heightened as our heads turn back and find a straight line of maybe twenty bikers, coming from Liberty Square.

"Oh no…" I get out.

*Now in a horizontal line too, we dash side by side, hands finding each other and gripping on. My fingers find his and we see each other's stares.

I know how Maybeck wants to say we're fine, that we're gonna make this…but his eyes say it all: this isn't looking good.

Willa skids to a stop, her gaze tracking the street below her, frozen still.

"Willa!" Finn exclaims, turning around, and in doing so, whipping Amanda around too. "They're—"

"Oh my God…" Willa says, still looking down. **"Charlie." She now sees Finn's terrified face. "Charlene!"

As if right on cue, we hear a scream. "GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF!"

And I had forgotten—but I realize it now, the Keepers were smart. We could follow her voice.

We turned left and found ourselves in an alley. ***Charlene's being held by a biker at the dead-end, nothing but a brick wall behind them. His helmet was off, but he wore sunglasses, so we can't see his face. But he tightened his grip every few moments, causing Charlene to cry out and attempt to pull his arms from her neck. He wouldn't budge.

_"Charlie!"_ Willa screeched and reached out. Held back by Philby, she seethed.

There was a silver glint in the man's hand…I didn't need look any more.

"You're going to put that down right now," I say, drawing nearer each step.

"No-can-do, Missy. I've got orders." He responded. His voice was deep, middle-aged…I didn't recognize it, but my lack of Disney education will prove nothing—one look from the rest of the Keepers, and I know this person isn't a normal visitor.

"Who's this person _giving orders_? No one significant, I would assume."

"Using big words isn't going to make you any _more scary_ to her. Not to her, oh, _I know_. She's got big plans for you, ****_Kristine Leigh Kingell_." The use of my name sends a frightening surge towards all of us. I'm caught, feeling every heartbeat.

I can hold my ground for now…but it's hard.

"I'm not gonna comply—ha, here's another big word—to any of her plans." I came closer, whispering now, this confidence taking over me and flying outward—

"I'm stronger. Even I know that."

Now I call out and rush forward. "NOW!"*

Amanda thrusts her arms forward and _pushes_ the man, and I'm able to pull his arm down from Charlene's neck, and Maybeck punches him in the face and the man crumples down. Charlene bends over and tries to catch her breath, rubbing her neck and responding to our concerned questions with "I'm fine! I'm fine!"

"Nice one," Philby says, tapping me on the shoulder. I'm about to turn and thank him but hear her first.

"Um…thanks you…Krissie," Charlene says, Willa by her side, smiling wryly. "I…you saved my butt."

I think we're good now. "It's nothing," I say, nodding, grateful this grudge is gone. I hope.

"Clear!" Finn says, yelling to us from the open area. "They're all gone!"

"What caused them to leave?" Philby asks.

"Probably what she said," Willa says, still grinning. "Whatever she said."

"I…let's get out of here." I am really…_proud_ of what just happened, _whatever_ that was…but I knew I needed to leave to avoid anything else.

"I agree, let's go." Maybeck says. He slides up next to me as we walk, leaning down to whisper. "You were brilliant in there."

"Not really."

"No, in the shop…I don't know if I would've made it out…"

"Fine, then, you owe me." I say, eying him.

"Sure, Shortie," he says, shaking his head in playful disbelief. "Fine by me."

I smile, and we walk on, worn out by the fight but strengthened by the victory.

And I grasp—we're almost done circling the park.

Nothing yet.

**I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I ONLY USED "LOOK" LIKE TWENTY TIMES IN THIS**

**Review? Concrit is accepted and appreciated ;)**

**Anything confusing? Tell me. I'll be more than happy to clear things up. :)**


	16. chapter 14: cursing the shadows

**GUYS! I'm not lying…FOUR CHAPTERS LEFT!**

**THIS CHAPTER-  
****SONG CONNECTION: I really want to think of this chapter and the next to be one ****straight shot through you know, as a matter of fact, these and the next three ****are really like that too. But talking for the sake of this and next) SO ****"Monsters Are Such Innnteresting People" ****_Lost _****at star. Stop it at 0:13. It's gonna carry into next chapter.**

**The rest of this chapter really could use a song. But there's none…**

**I apologize for going from an action straight to the next two chapter. But it ****had to happen…**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**

**chapter 14: cursing the shadows**

Now, scattered attractions surround us after we cross a wide wood bridge, instantly catapulting us into Adventureland. This new land is small.

Maybeck and I are in the lead, appointed there so we could right away notify the others of trouble. Apparently, I am considered a valuable fighter now.

I can see Main Street easily in the distance. Then, it hits me.

"We're…we're done…" I say, crushed. I stop walking, taken over by the disappointment. _No sight of her._

"We're _not_ done. Now, c'mon. We've got Adventureland next. You'll like it. It's my favorite." Maybeck says, stopping along with me.

"So I'll like it 'cause it's your favorite." I say, still staring ahead, not feeling the humor.

"Yeees," he says, wiggling his hand under mine. I let him.

We stand there, silence hanging over the group. I can _feel_ the grayness of frustration that frames us. We've walked the  
whole park. Nothing.

I turn around, seeing the remorseful faces of the Keepers. The ones I discovered _were_ real. My friends…

I'm about to apologize for this whole night, but I can't seem to word it. "Guys, I—"

"Krissie!" Willa shouts out. She appears from the shadows and waves me over. Her face reads urgency, but I can see another layer of excitement beneath.

I leave Maybeck's side with a nod (and a concerned star back from him) and jog over to Willa. We had sent her over to take a quick scan of Adventureland while we took one last look around Fronteirland. This late return…says something.

Willa runs over even quicker. The Keepers fall in behind me.

Once I'm close enough, she takes my wrists.

"Golden curls?" she whispers.

The world stops. I don't know how to respond.

"Flower stem eyes?"

I can't breathe. With tears in my eyes, I manage a nod.

"I could barely see, but I saw something. Come on."

Something inside me feels like it's about to burst, the relief and want to see her greater than anything I could ever imagine. But I refuse to let my emotions give way, and outside I stay calm, stone-faced. I need to see her for myself.

Willa drags me to the Spanish-looking pink-orange building, which reads something about Pirates on the top. I cringe. Willa saw her _in here?_

There are no doors; rather, it's open, and we can step under the ceiling. We're immediately shrouded in darkness, and the shadows fall on us. Willa lets go of my wrist.

I feel alone.

I step ahead, slowly, my footsteps making no more sound than a heartbeat. I don't know if I should call out.

Dare I say her name?

"Georgia?" I breathe, not able to be any louder. No response.

No one heard that but me. I need to speak up.

"Georgia." I say, maybe a little bit louder.

I'm afraid.

I'm afraid to go on, terrified at the thought of what meets me when I walk out of these shadows. I don't know what will meet me. I don't know what will challenge me next. I don't know what words will greet me with their deathly grip, grasping away all life…

_"Georgie!"_ I say, tears streaming down my face, screaming at anything. Everything. I'm ready to go back to the way life was before I woke up in front of the castle…because anything's better than this.

So I'm caught off guard when I hear a soft, sweet whisper—"Kitsie?"

I breathe out a sob and scream, "Say my name!_ Say_ _it loud!_" I need to hear my sister—my sister, _my found sister!_—I need to her say my name again.

"Kristine!" she screams out. _"Kris-tine!"_

I felt around, my arms slapping the wall, cold against my hands. Something was fueling me—it was her screams—and I, becoming stronger every step, I felt it…

_I know, I am strong_…

"Kitsie!" she yells. I hear her screams reverberate in my mind, resounding, her voice is now ingrained in my mind…

"Georgie—" I say, thrilled at the sound of her name. "Ge—"

My hands find something soft—and it's her curls.

She recoils, but when I say her name again, she turns and gasps. I bend down and grab her, my hand running through her hair. I feel her shaking in her my arms, with trembling breathing and whispers of "You're here." I'm a mess, sobbing hysterically, but I don't care—_I found her._

"Kitsie, how did you—"

I pull away and put my hands on your shoulders.

"Did they hurt you?" I demand.

She's soundless.

_"Did they hurt you?"_

Her innocent eyes become glassy. "This pirate…He grabbed me and…that's when I screamed, and I heard you…" She swallows and nods. "But he said something, like he was surprised, and then ran away. Like he didn't…_see me_ anymore."

"And that was it?" I ask, lowering my head but raising my eyes. She won't lie to me now.

"I crossed over in the place with the castle—the red and white one." _Fantasyland,_ I mentally responded. So she was there. "I remembered it from your stories, Kristine! I knew that was the place where they all met in your story and so I knew to go right…to find my way back. I've been hiding in here…ever since…it's so dark..."

The thought that one of my stories helped my sister _survive_ was too much to bear. I hugged her again, rocking back and  
forth, whispering _thank you_ to someone I don't know.

A patch of light clarifies Willa's face, and I see her a couple feet away. She brightens.

"Is…this her?"

Georgia's gasp fills the room as she comes away from me, running towards her. She immediately hugs Willa, jumping up and down. Willa laughs, and, finally managing to break free, asks, "Georgia, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Georgia exclaims, hugging her once again. "You're my favorite," she whispers, standing in front of her.

Willa smiles, unable to say anything to match that.

"Are there more? Are there more?" Georgia say, bouncing up and down, forgetting we're in Disney World, at night, _in the complete dark._

"Yes, but—" I say, reaching out for her but only catching air as she bolted to the outside. I couldn't let her leave my sight, but I figured the Keepers wouldn't let her go very far. I breathed for what seemed like the first time.

"She's beautiful," Willa remarks, coming to my side and looking out.

"I…" I sigh. "I know."

"Like you." She squeezes my hand.

Together we emerge from the darkness to Finn, Maybeck, and Philby laughing hysterically. Georgia had gotten to Charlene, hugging her too and jumping around and asking questions a mile a minute. I see Charlene's gigantic smile and enthusiastic responses, and I can't help but let out a relieved laugh. We're good now.

All of their faces are pleasant…but Jess doesn't look affected.

Georgia breaks away from Charlene and comes to me. I hold her now, taking her hands, and she stands on my toes. I rock my weight back and forth on my feet, gripping her cheerful giggle and slowly spinning around. We come full circle and I let her down. "Again, again!" she demands, her smile taking up her whole face.

"No, not now," I say, sticking out my tongue. I bend down and come eye level. "I'm just glad you're here." I whisper.

"It's cold." Philby remarks.

"I like the cold." I say, my eyes not leaving Georgia, wondering where that came from.

That sets her off.

Jess's hands go to her head again. It's instantaneous now, and she doesn't take time to sway back and forth or breathe heavy. Just an inhale through her teeth and tensing up.

The harmony ceases. All eyes look to her. I see Georgia's face, frozen in fear, her clutch of my hand even tighter.

The air feels like it stops all movement. The cold increases. Finally, Jess comes out of the trance.

But her eyes turn to ice, and she aims them at me.

"I saw it. Again."

At first, I think she means the biker image. But as Amanda, almost in a daze, reaches down to her pocket and opens up a picture for us to see. Her face is devastated. Amanda's eyes scan us…like she hasn't said something yet.

The picture shows two hands held out, one on top of the other. They held a balled-up flame.

The nails…were painted and chipped black…

"Is there a reason _why_ you see different spellings of words, different letter combinations that sound the same to everyone and yet _you_ think of them sounding…different?" Jess says, her head tilted to the side slightly.

I freeze.

This is something I've never noticed. Something I've never brought up. "Well, um, yeah…" I stammer, "I just think they sound different-"

"No, they don't! But you can hear it differently," she attacks. Walking up closer, her eyes growing intense, not staying silent anymore.

The Keepers stand around us, and, judging by the looks on their faces, don't know what to think of this. Philby backs up. Maybeck stares at me, worried. Amanda seems to be torn.

"Tell me why you know what happens at the end of each book that minute you crack it open."

Jess looks at me long and hard, and I try not to show anything.

"_Jessica!_" Amanda shouted, astonished. "Don't you start that—"

Jess walks up to me, inches away. Georgia tugs at my shirt. I push her to Willa, who grabs hold and kneels down, whispering something in her ear.

Jess snarls, speaking almost inaudible to everyone but her and me.

"Is there a reason why, _Kristine Leigh Kingell_, that your flashes are getting more story-like?"

I'm completely silent.

"They aren't just words anymore, now. There're paragraphs."

Now I'm set off. Loudly, I say, "I haven't had one in _hours_, Jess—"

"They're information you're gonna use eventually." She's breathing heavy; her finger points at me. "You recognize it. You've seen those words before. We've _lived _those words." She says deliberately. Her face was dangerously red.

I reach my hand out for her to take, as she was close to angry, confused tears, but she isn't stopping.

"And that's not normal. All your life it's been fragments. But now—"*

Jess, Amanda, and all I bend down, our hands meeting out ears and crying out.

Not a split second after, the deafening screech of a crow is all we hear. All eight of us now circle around. Georgia buries her face in my shirt and I wrap my arm around her protectively. _No one's getting her _ever_ again._

The sky illuminates with lightning and thunder roars. It's louder than I've ever heard it before.

I look to Amanda, and her face reads pain. She seems to be apologizing with her eyes. _I don't know what_ _this is,_ she seems to scream.

The cold starts to creep along the pavement. Slowly, icicles form on the top of the ceiling of Pirates. They grow and lengthen until they're flawed cylinders, blocking the entryway.

Like a jail.

"It's…" Willa struggles. "It's her."

The crow, coming from everywhere, shrieks, piercing our ears. I grip my sister tighter.

And all heads turn towards the bridge that led to this place, and we see a tall, unnaturally thin, robed figure, her skin an ugly green. Her stance proud. Her presence terrifying.

Maleficent's eyes are more unfeeling than I thought, and they're staring at me.

I can only say one thing. "Run."


	17. chapter 15: ignition

**GUYS! I got a KK-dedicated twitter. Follow me! I'm alyssawhitman88. :)  
GUYS! We're doing another project. It's a fanvid! Find all the deets here ( post/49982136290/another-one) and PLEEEASE help out. It requires drawing. OOH CRAYONS!  
GUYS! I decided I'm jumping right into oneshots when June begins. Keeping the Friday-at-midnight thing. Every first Friday of the month will be HP, and the rest KK. I wanted to do this short multi-chap but it turned out not being "so short" so that's beginning at the end of the oneshots. Which will be September. I hope.**

**THIS CHAPTER-**  
**SONG CONNECTION: "Monsters" from last chap. 0:31 at star. 0:44 at two. 1:05 at three. 1:23 at four. I would love if the last couple lines are silent.**  
**This song just works because it matches the frantic-ahh-crazy emotion AND IT'S SHORT which is great because I have no intentions of making this chapter hard for myself. Because I'm already going through enough emotional back-and-forths.**

**Three things: 1) This was planned since the story was born. I am being honest here 2) I'm sorry 3) Jessie. OHMYGOSH just…stop guessing my climaxes.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadow**  
**chapter fifteen: ignition**

And we do.

All nine swivel around, seeing Main Street as our only refuge. We've come full circle—promises are kept.

The green lady seems to glide toward us, her glower growing menacing by the second. And it's all for me. I can't help but think I'm the purpose of all this turmoil—this ailment, this disease, almost a sickness that strikes whenever I'm there. Because when I'm there…everything tumbles down.

But there's no time to sympathize for myself: all there is…my footsteps...my footfalls.

So we're dashing to the place where it began, and I'm stomping on where I first woke up to this ghastly place. The stars seem to close in and the dark, dark sky feels like it wants to fall. And behind us, Maleficent still travels on a green smoke cloud, the purple in her cloak standing out evermore. Terror swells within me. Is she the cause of this shadowy abyss, the curse that's pushing me over and making me _fall?_

I seek for the smiling faces of my friends, desiring beyond my vain wants of quiet to just see them_ laugh_ again about my birthday or my sister _or my writing. _But no. No, their expressions only reveal distress as we sprint to escape. Willa has tears streaming down her face. Finn's, Philby's, Amanda's are strained and red, holding back something fierce. All that radiates outward is a craze of intensity.

And Maybeck…his eyes…they read everything I've been trying to say _all night_ but just couldn't find the words…

Charlene carries Georgia, my sister's arms around her neck and her legs hooked around her hips, on Charlie's right side. I see Charlene struggle and recall how this all began…

And Jess. Jess, the one who has made scornful faces at me all night and was about to say something to my detriment…she runs for me now.

And in this blunt realization, I see clearly now…these people…they want to _help_ me. They're not against me. There is some..._good…_in this world.

I'm not alone. I never was.

I skid to a sudden stop, tears flowing freely as well, whispering my surprise and beyond joyful of its truth. The Keepers stop as well when they cease to hear my heavy breathing.

Before the Keepers could object, Amanda and Jess shout out at the same time: _"Go!"_

"She knows what she's doing." Amanda says, trying to offer a smile but the panic in her face gives way.

I don't have time to answer the question of why they knew something I didn't even know myself. But I go with it, seeing the first gesture of support from Jess. I need to trust her.

Then, suddenly, I'm afraid. I notice where I am and how far away_ she_ is. I'm about to turn around and run again but then—

*Our surroundings erupt in flames. The sisters and I stand inside a frame of fire, its sparks exploding and the peaks of the wall flickering.

"Nooo!" I screeched out, unable to find my sister.

"KRISTINE!" Willa cries out, and I can vaguely see her standing _behind _the fire, struggling along with the rest of the Keepers and Georgia against pirates. The tallest pirate would inch Finn back and forth, toward and away from the fire. _"Get off of her!"_ he roared at the pirate holding Georgia.

The man only sneered and laughed louder.

"KRISSIE!" Amanda bawls. _"You need to!"_

"I need to _what_?" I ask, backing away from the approaching fire in front of me, Maleficent's derisive face only growing closer.

"You need to _say it_!" Jess exclaimed. I see her face, and it's desperate. _For me. _For what I'm about to do.

My hands wring and I struggle to make words. Do I have this power, this command over this fire to do what I speak? This screaming, _this witch?_

**And I am rubbing the back of my right hand on the palm of my left hand—cupping them, as though something was going to drop into them. And I notice the faster I move them, the higher the flames rise—the hotter they grow. _I need to stop this_, I need to stop trapping us!

***And my eyes grow wide as a ball of fire appears suddenly inside my ready hands. It burns upward, a peak of flame rising inches. I feel no burning on my hand, but I see words inside—No! Words aren't inside it. I feel them, hear them all around me, and it seems like the sisters hear it too…and it's a whisper, a nameless, unidentifiable whisper…

_"A girl who's eyes are darker than the night…Who slips through reality to those of her brothers and sisters…Born on the glimmering shades _of_ the piercing night…With strands of might colored in silver…Pray that she saves those whose captors aren't the words…"_

I turn around, my mouth agape, searching below and above and around me. "I know this!" I cry, seeing their alarmed faces. "I know these words!"

"I am surprised about you, Kristine Kingell," Maleficent says, her voice overflowing with victory. "I thought you would be this powerful, strong, _tall_…_warrior_." She smiles, and the world seems so empty. "I thought it wouldn't be like…_this_."

I can't let her words affect me. I can't let her taunting shake me. I cannot allow that, and I won't. But the flames rise every moment.

_"Something precious will make her run…And the blazing flames will find her…" _I softly say, slightly behind the whisper.

_"She will meet those who share her heart…In whatever's left of that night…" _I join in with the voice, suddenly finding these words, recognizing how they've been told to me…

"_She won't know that there is much more of the same." _ I say, looking at Amanda and Jess, and seeking the strength they've always had.  
_  
_Maleficent continues. "I find your power intriguing. I know I can do great things with it. But you've got to trust me. I'll make you taller. I'll make you prettier. I'll make you _stronger_."

Her promises mean nothing to me. No, because I know after tonight…The voice carries on, and I do also._ "Never underestimate the power of the ink, and the masquerades it can perform. Because she who respects to pen…" _I stop, and the voice stops. I see the flames in front of me, and the heat suddenly gets to me. Sweating now, my left hand comes out from under my right. My hand that's under the fireball bounces back and forth. The flame dances side to side, complying to my movement.

Now, with my eyes locked on the wall of fire in front of me, I whisper. "Stop."

It stops creeping any farther.

I look back to see the sister's horrified faces, and I command the fire crawling to them also. "Stop!" I say a little louder.

_"Stop!"_ I shout out, and all flames stand still.

Then twenty more hushed voices unite with me, and it's louder than my screams inside.

_"…Respects the balance of the world as well."_

****And the flames swell and bolt to the sky. Maleficent is caught in the outburst, taken up with them, screaming shrilly.

The scene in front of us reads nothing about what just happened.

The fireball in my hand shoots upward as well, and I jump back.

"Kristine…" Amanda's voice says, breathless.

My heartbeat piercing my ears, I turn around, stunned.

"Kristine…_you're_...you're a Fairlie." she says.

Jess finishes. "Of…of words."


	18. chapter 16: blessing the shadows

**THIS CHAPTER-  
SONG CONNECTIONS: "Departing Sun" from ****_Lost _****at star****_. _*****turns head and cries*  
There's minor boom moments and swells in here. You decide where they go. It would be awesome if the last two lines were silent.**

**NOTE: I know about the eye thing. You'll understand more. Soon.**  
**ALSO: The link to the OPERATIN KK FANVID didn't post, and that post is probably buried on my tumblr, so just email me kkfanvid (just without spaces) and I'll see everything.  
AND: Last chap's the week after next. I'll be on vacay so I can't update. Epilogue after that. Then HP oneshot. THEN THE ONESHOTS BEGIN. WHOA. Where did December go?**

**I have never wanted not to mess up a chapter so bad in my life. I knew, the first time I came up with this scene, that I needed to make it painstakingly beautiful and tear-jerking. (I hoped this song would aid in this.) And for that reason I refused to think about it. (It's been six months. I have no idea what I'm about to write.)**

***I'll have you know I went on a home decorating website to find colors for this. I was unsuccessful.**

**I suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 16: blessing the shadows**

My hands finally drop to my sides. Jess's words still echo in my mind, the sound of them still not sinking. I'm staggered. I'm dazed.

"My—" Amanda manages to get out before she sprints to me. My tears finally emerge as she embraces me. Jess makes her way over too.

"You're…you're one of us…" Amanda says, trying to calm herself down but can't seem to.

I'm not like her. I never was. "No, I could never be—" I start.

"No. You are." Jess says firmly. Her face finally gives feeling as she permits, "I…I thought you were a Veri—"

"She thought you were our enemies. Sent…to spy on us. All signs pointed to that," she laughs, and looks to her sister, who matches her reaction, "but now it makes _so much sense_, with what she said—"

"My eyes—" I say, my hand rising, still wondering what that had to do with anything—

"All Fairlie's eyes are blue," Amanda grins.

"Except for…my kind…" Jess trails off.

"We'll need to teach you everything." Amanda says. I can see the thrill swelling inside her, that she's not alone. And suddenly, I understand the way she first locked eyes with me in the Hide-Out. The way she looked so brave and independent—and the way she broke became delicate when her beloved were hurting…I had grown into that. I had become _like her_.

And it finally _makes sense_ now…my abilities weren't anything of this normal earth. No, they were part of something bigger, something beyond my young understanding…Overwhelmed with the thought of my dream, unknown to myself, coming true, becoming too heavy and too _perfectly light_ at the same time, I wordlessly embraced them again, finally feeling…one of them.

I'm a Fairlie. A Fairlie of words. This aching, this sorrow that had troubled me all these years…was for a reason.

Now I welcome it. With everything I am.

I see the other Keepers behind us, their faces a mixture of astonishment and approval. Willa's eyes are filling up, and she nods when I look to her. Philby grabs her hand and she accepts and I can't help but feel amazingly elated for them. Finn and Charlene grin, and I see they're genuinely happy for me. It makes me proud to say I'm the friend of them, _heroes._

And Maybeck has a look he has never had before—the attachment to my eyes says something words can't—and I know, because I hold their powers—it tells me that he respects me. Likes me.

One more look, and I know…he_ loves_ me.

"Kitsie," Georgia pulls at my shirt, my shoulder still on Amanda's. "Kitsie, what's going on?"

I laugh, breaking away from the sisters, and bending down to Georgia. "Georgie, I…" I don't know how to say it yet. It's still so new, besides the fact it's been with me my whole life.

"Does she know about us?" Jess asks.

"Yes. She's read the series many times…maybe more than me," I answer, looking at my sister and feeling a glow inside.

"Well, Georgia, your sister is…like me," Amanda says, kneeling also.

Georgia gasps loudly, and we all laugh. She holds me again, and her acceptance places me on the top of the world. "I knew you were special," she says.

And unexpectedly, my heart drops. _Georgia_. _Is she…_

My troubled face meets Amanda's. "But if I'm a Fairlie…my parents…_Georgia_—"

The Keeper's faces sink also. Jess and Amanda lock eyes, and they silently agree on something.

"She's your sister…just as much as she's mine…" Amanda says, taking Jess's hand.

That light that was burning inside dies out. The realization of the fact…she's not really…_related to me_…it's too much. I fight to keep the flame alive by accepting this: If Georgia's not my blood sister, she's the closer than a false one.

From the look on her face, she hasn't registered what I just asked. I need to replicate her mind set. One detail she never points out is the fact that Amanda and Jess aren't really related.

_But there's no reason to see it._ Because in her mind, the sharing of a surname doesn't place the label of _family_ between two people.

It's love.

Am I my mother and father's daughter? There's no reason to let that enter my mind. Because I know my true place now.

"Look!" Willa says, pointing to the ebony sky, and we all turn.

*In the bottom corner of our view of everything above us, a soft yellow light emerges, only peeking out. Sharp points of the light pulse outward and inward, twinkling and brightening.

All eyes are drawn to this sight, not a sunset, not a sunrise. We all make it to one straight line across. Faces gaze up.

We don't know what this is. Not that we need to know- the beauty's too much to try to place it.

"They told us this in the barracks—" Jess begins, captivated by the spectacle.

"When the Fairlie of Words would come, finally—" Amanda says.

"There are very few…you're the only one so far…" Jess says to me, but her face is still on the radiance.

"They say she holds a power over nature, creatures, _lives_—"

"She knows how to_ feel_ them…their _being.._."

The light expands, and shades of orange develop at the edges, beating also. The luminosity doesn't change the sky behind it—it still stays as dark as my and new sister's hair.

This light, this _sun_—I can't help but think it answers to me, that it came because of tonight—I have never seen a sunrise like this—

"We're the only ones seeing this. In the whole world." Jess continues. I'm enthralled to think about the exclusiveness of this brilliance. "They wrote something. Something about you—"

"I've heard it," I answer. _A prophecy_. "What you heard. In my flashes."

"They said—and probably still do—that the sun and the stars and every light will fill the sky instead of a sunrise…_in honor _of her…"

"They named it," Jess says. "They called this event something."

Amanda whispers. _"The Kristinnia."_

The sound of the name jars me. I glance at Amanda. I see that she was already smiling through tears at me and I look away, back at the light. _My_ light.

The three-quarter circle now shows itself completely as it floats to the middle of the sky. The very middle of the light is bright white—and the colors graduate, from pale yellow, soft orange, to an intense crimson-

More light begins to creep upwards from the bottom of our view, forming hills and peaks. The round light traces the outline of the inclines, delicately dancing up and down.

I realize my surroundings and find Maybeck next to me. Without question our hands find each other. I smile. He does also.

The circle now enlarges and the left side of it stretches until it's a sideways tear drop. The rims flicker, growing steadily.

Like a surprise the sky brightens and sends a powerful wind to all nine of us. Our hair is blown back and my eyes are shut. Three Fairlies' hands clutch each other.

When I open them again, the gleam is retreating back to the left corner, dimming, shrinking. The sky has returned to black now.

But the stars sparkle even brighter now, and I feel like the Kristinnia is and will forever linger. Exhilarations courses through me.

Amanda and Jess—my Fairlies, my sisters…they look to me with respect now.

The light is ignited again.

**I used the word "light" in there like twenty times I swear to coconuts**

**Okay whatever that just was imagine it ten times better. THAT'S it.**


	19. chapter 17: departing the shadows

**I don't cry. I may have cried last update of WNTET, or NYKK, or even HBK…but I think I've cried all my last-chapter tears.**

**No, instead of crying, I now feel this _pain_ in my heart, and it legitimately feels like it'll tear to shreds if I think about this anymore. ****Never**** in my life have I felt ****this**** sorrowful to leave a story.**

**It's almost been a year since ISW was born, and I think it's right to be just ending it now. It's definitely been an interesting year. I've learned so much. So much, thanks to ****this_._**

**I believe all things happen for a reason. There's a sole reason this story was published, and my reasoning now is that this told me I can A) change tenses in the middle of a story B) do Maybeck/OC C) discover readers that go beyond the definition of amazing eighty times and back.**

**It is with my deepest gratitude that I thank every single person who took a peek at this story that caused many, many, ****_many _****long, long, ****_long _****nights and innumerable thesaurus look-ups. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about the Kristine Leigh's story that ****_you guys_**** helped create. It's pretty amazing, you know, when you think about it—the fact that we can all laugh and smile and cry about something ****_together._**

**For Jessica, who stays up till midnight with me. Her dedication to the series never fails to amaze me. The true words Fairlie. WHO, BY THE WAY READERS, WON ON KINGDOM KEEPERS INSIDER FOR THE JESS CAPTURE FANFIC: BEST DESCRIPTION AND IF I WERE YOU I WOULD SEND A CONGRATULATIONS PM. COULDN'T PICK A BETTER WRITER. Keeper love forever :)**

**For Elle, my dear, dear fangirl, who makes me smile like an idiot. She's reviewed this since the very beginning. Elle brightens my day every PM. You rock, Ellie—never stop writing.**

**For Neon, who's talented ****_beyond _****words. Her words of encouragement keep me going. They are irreplaceable to me :) Thanks friend :)**

**THIS CHAPTER:**  
**SONG CONNECTION: "Oceanic 815" ****_Lost_****. 0:57 at star. 1:32 at two. 2:45 at three. 3:45 at four. 4:29 at one again. Let that ending line happen around the end of the fourth minute. Stop it at 5:04.**

**(There is one more chapter after this (Epilogue) But I needed to say my goodbyes now.)**

**I'm gonna apologize ahead of time for the exuberant use of the word "hug" in this chapter. For this whole story, for that matter. I'm sirius this time—there's ****_no good synonyms._**

**Okay, here comes the tears.**

**i suggest we stick to the shadows**  
**chapter 17: departing the shadows**

The silence after the Kristinnia is filled with thrilled thoughts coursing through me. I realize that in the duration of the sun's dance, I've come to accept my place—my true calling. My rightful name.

And everything brightens, something that hasn't happened since I was little—I almost forgot what real joy feels like—I'm able to smile and _mean it_ now. No more darkness. Only light. Wonderful, loving, _amazing_ light.

I feel Georgia's head pressed against my side, and I see her closed eyes. She's tired. We all are. But I see something in the Keeper's eyes that says that the fire's still burning.

This is what I wrote about. I find the most remarkable thing in the Keepers' story to be that they never get tired—of keeping peace, fostering good. No matter how terrible they are broken, beat, or drained, they get up and press on. They never walk away.

I've seen that tonight. And so much more. I've seen the true meaning of _never giving up._

"Thank you…" I say through tears, committing each of their faces to memory. "Thank you…thank you all…"

*"Krissie…" Willa says, coming up to me. She embraces me and I'm reminded of how she was the first to express her worry about my sister. _She_ is the one who shouted with me. She…_supported_ me.

"I will never,_ ever_, find someone as brilliant, smart, and beautiful as you," she said to me, still hugging. "And I'm glad that I got to see the first words Fairlie."

I laughed, the sound of her voice echoing in my head. "If anything, you're the one who I met," I say.

"Yeah," she says. "But I'd never thought I'd meet someone like _you_."

I pull away and realize this is my goodbye. To all of them. Dawn peaks out from underneath the dark of the night, and I know I can't stay for long. I've got to complete my mission—get my sister back, at last.

**The Keepers are in a straight line across, ready for farewells. Philby is standing there first, and we both share a laugh, thinking of my first moments here. The tension, the anxiety. Now it's nothing more than a whisper of the past.

"Take care," he says, and hugs me too. I say the same.

Charlene's struggling to stay composed. "I—I—I said all those things to you…and all along you saved _us_…"

I shut her up by hugging her. Georgia joins in too. "I'm so, so sorry…" Charlene begins.

"Don't," I interrupt. "Don't even go there."

"You are truly amazing," she says. "I'm grateful I met you."

With a quick squeeze of my hand, she turns to wipe her tears. Finn smiles and hugs me.

"Real Keeper," he said, and I feel a surge of pride through me. I pull away and his green eyes still have that sparkle.

***Jess and Amanda stand hand in hand, and I wish I can forever look at their welcoming, promising smiles. Forever feel their warmth and acceptance…because _they're_ my sisters now.

Jess comes up first. "Don't take any of what I said during that…vision…to heart."

"You know I will," I say, and that causes tearful laughter from her.

"Please make sure to use your power. Don't let it go to waste. I'll be looking for your name, Kristine Leigh Kingell."

"You'll find it," I grin, giggling, pulling away. "Just not on covers."

"I'm not so sure of that," she allows a sly smile, and I'm now in Amanda's arms.

"You were the only one who believed in me," I whisper into her ear.

And it's true. She's the only one, out of _all of them_, who believed wholeheartedly _from the very beginning_ in my strength. And now, I believe that she believes I can keep it.

"That's a lie," she whispers back. "We all believed in you. It just took some of us time to realize it."

"Forever...sisters? Fairlies?" I asked, never wanting this unity to end.

"Always."

I break away. There's a pause. "You can keep that paper."

"I look forward to reading it," she says.

Maybeck's last. The smile in me can't be contained as I run into his arms, holding him close. He does the same.

"Still got that slow reaction time, Shortie?" he asks.

"Stop it," I say.

"It's true. It took you this long to hug me."

"No wonder."

****I back away, but he gets to first—he kisses me, and the world has music playing, lights flashing, love pulsing. I kiss him back and our surroundings seem to welcome us as a pairing, together…I hope, for a very_, very,_ long time.

I break away and he holds my upper arm. Dark eyes stare into dark eyes. We lock the image.

Words don't need to enter the world to say what we're feeling now, this very perfect moment.

I turn around, still in his grip, to see a sleepy Georgia rubbing her eyes. "Ready?" I say.

She nods.

*Only then do I let go.

I back up, not looking away from the scene, feeling my heart fill to bursting. Some would say it's too full for words. I say it's too full to let words escape.

Amanda gets out that all-too-familiar black and red button. Promises are kept, even at the end.

"When you go…we're going too," he says.

Amanda speaks. "You're never leaving. Never."

The silence only confirms that promise. I take my found sister's hand, and hold it tight, like I'm never letting go.

I back up until I'm able to_ feel _the place I first appeared. I look down and see the black street. I release a weight I didn't know I was holding.

"There's this thing," Willa begins, looking at me. "Called DHI Shadow."

My eyes scan the line of the seven, studying each face, saying their names over and over again.

"It's a state of temporary invisibility," Willa continues. "When we're too far away, we're unable to be seen. Projected. Recognized. So we disappear."

Her words power me now. _Finn, Philby, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, Amanda, Jess—_

"Sometimes our voices disappear also. Sometimes, the words we try to say are disconnected. Unheard."

I replay the night. I feel every heartbreak. Every tear. _Every joy._

"But we're still there. We're still in the shadow."

Willa looks to Finn for reassurance. He holds up the button. She nods.

She turns back to me. "A shadow's only a little bit of what's to come."

The smile's still on my face as I open my eyes.

* * *

**I** **DON'T CARE WHAT YOU CHARBECK SHIPPERS SAY.**

**KRISBECK ALL THE WAY!**


	20. the ending, yet a whole new beginning

**_SONG CONNECTION: "Thinking Clairely" from Lost at star._**

* * *

_And it talks to me in tiptoes / And sings to me inside, / It cries out in the darkest night, / And breaks in morning light._

_"All This And Heaven Too" by Florence and the Machine_

* * *

"And do know what she said to me?"

"No, what?"

"She stood there, plain as all get out, her low-fat cappuccino in hand, and…" he leans across the empty mahogany desk, his eyes bearing an intensity like no other…

His answer came abruptly. "She said it wouldn't sell. Too thick."

With this we erupted into laughter, the sunglasses on his head bouncing as he nodded. "No lie. No lie!"

"Stop it, John." I smiled, crossing my legs.

"My word is truth! With witnesses to prove it. The president of that company—the company, _the president!_—said it was too thick. Therefore, couldn't make it pocket-book size. Therefore, people won't carry it around and read it, which is the only time people read."

I inhale through my teeth. "So that's it. Is that so?"

"So, let's just forget the whole idea." He said sarcastically, waving his hand as to shrug off something. "Dismiss the fact entirely that it's a seventeen year old author."

"That doesn't really factor into the equation nowadays," I rationalize.

"Yeah. Right. Look who's laughing now. Us!"

I adjust my sunglasses also—a gift from John, as his motto is, "_The stars need to shield themselves from corrupt light!" _

John's the publisher. He's guided me through these fast three years, and quided me well. We now sit in his spacious office. At fourteen, I would've gaped at the sight of this elaborateness. But now, it's just another office.

"Well, my friend, we need to consider the tour," he says, stirring his coffee mug. I hadn't touched mine. No matter the number of sleepless nights I've been struggling to make up—I don't have a taste for caffeine. "People are dying to see the great Kristine Leigh. You've been a great influence. My Twitter's just filled to bursting, don't forget."

"I would never," I joke. After a moment of silence I recline back, sinking into the leather chair. "I don't know, I don't wanna leave Jersey. I mean, I'm used to it here—"

"Where would you have gotten if you didn't leave that little downward spiral of yours?" he fires back.

I scoff. I'd almost forgotten. All I've known for all this time was insane frenzy—signing this, dedicating that, keeping my website up to date. The remnants of that misery I was in are few—and if any, helpful for angsty material.

"Hmm." I say.

I glance at my watch—I'd better get home. "Hate to leave, Mr. Publisher, but I must leave."

"No, never," he smiled. I got up, smoothed out my sundress (_sundress!_ I still can't believe it myself. Things have changed), and pulled my handbag over my shoulder.

"It's been fun," I say.

"Honestly, please consider this," he says, serious now, although the grin that's plastered to his face doesn't leave. "I'm expecting a yes on Tuesday."

"All right, all right. But I'm still a kid, a student, _a smart student,_ for that matter, I got schoolwork."

John smiles, opening the door for me. "Call."

I'm greeted by the warm sunlight bearing no mercy on my eyes. Have to pull down my sunglasses immediately. I consider calling Mom for a ride, but decide against it. I wanna walk home anyway. The unusual nice weather at this time of year needs to be savored.

Leisurely I amble along the sidewalk of Main Street, hearing the shrieks and cries of the young children in the park on the other side. I glance over and can't help but smile at their joy. A parent or two wave at me, and I beam back.

Three years. Three years since I had waken up, tears streaming down my face, still clutching a nothing but having an image to go with it. Georgia had bolted into my bedroom and we'd talked all night. Now, she's nine, leading the third grade as we all thought she would. Her energy never fades.

That next morning was the first time I'd smiled in ten years, my mom had told me. I had came down the stairs with a sparkle in my eye, arrived home from school _not_ shutting myself into the room, and talked. Actually _talked!_ It seemed like a miracle to the outsiders looking in. But my sister and I knew…yeah, it was kinda something of that nature.

It happened when a teacher handed back an A-plus creative writing assignment. I'd freely given over the loose-leaf paper to my mom for her to see the grade. Tears squeezed out of her eyes as she told me, with the greatest pride I've seen, "This. This is something."

And some way, the publishing company got a hold of that paper (I wonder how, with the stolen stares and unplaced glance-ups from my mother), and came to the house that very next week. I'll never forget the black suits, asking for the home of "Kristine L. Kingell" and slightly chuckling after.

"That's good, we could use that," I'd whispered to my mom.

And the deal was made. I was to be making them (and myself, they never failed to mention) money. This put me in a place of awkwardness with my peers, but I never really cared anyway. Let them read my creations and _create their own_ thoughts for themselves about me.

The community seemed to open up and my name spread. Faces become more familiar. Names are remembered. Such an unusual thing, they've said. Someone so young. Writing with so much power.

_Power_ is what gets me.

*Not a day goes by when I don't think about that fateful night—and how I'd began it almost falling apart and left it being whole again. If that would have never came—

I can't think about what would have happened if it never happened. Because it did, and I'm here now. It really happened.

The book series from which their names come is long gone, and the beautiful stories that form from its being grows ever strong. I'm proud of the people who strive every day to keep the magic. I really am.

And the Keepers…I haven't seen them again, but I've felt them. Everyday. Through the words of the books I meet with them and cry with them and laugh with them. They may not know this girl's face now; she has changed so much…but I know theirs. The love we all shared can't ever be broken.

There are times when I feel the side effects of writing constantly—my abilities, which have only grown fiercer—those nights of loneliness, those days of wandering, helplessly squandering in questions. (I don't have those jarring flashes anymore for inspiration. The documents dwindle so.)

But more often than not, I'm flying, _flying high in the sky_, feeling the breeze in my hair, tasting the sun, the light, _my light, _feeling happier and lighter and lighter and _freer _each time.

As I walk along, I approach the local bookstore I spend so much time at now. In the window holds a display of a newly released book that's flown up the charts, taking the world by storm.

Copies of the hardback book are piled up. The big poster the stand to the left shows a dewy white flower, sparkling in the sun, with the purest green leaves surrounding its petals.

_Flower Stem,_ the sign reads.

For this, I am forever sure: I will _never_ be alone.

* * *

_No words or language, / It doesn't deserve such treatment, / And all my stumbling phrases, / Never amounted to anything worth this feeling, / All this heaven, / Never could describe such a feeling as I'm having, / Words were never so useful, / So I was screaming out a language / That I never knew existed before._


End file.
